Happy Tree Friends: Blood & Fire
by Wolfess19
Summary: My 10th story - it made my first 9 sound kinda lame... Anyway, a new character moves into Happy Tree Town - and with it, danger. Contains Flippy x Flaky, Splendid x OC, the usual others - no yaoi or yuri! - and some lemon.
1. Chapter 00: Prologue

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

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><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 00 – Prologue**

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><p>Laughter…cruel, cold laughter…<p>

Flippy held a frightened Flaky close, her fearful sobs almost inaudible to the rain pattering heavily on the abandoned mansion's window. Around him were mutilated bodies of all the citizens of Happy Tree Town – except for two, who were knocked unconscious.

_"If it's one thing I'm scared of, it's her…"_

Although slightly amusing, Flippy thought Flipqy was ruthless and fearless – but scared of one of their own? He almost laughed, but fiery golden eyes stopped him from doing so.

Splendid slowly regained consciousness as she growled darkly, wiping the blood that streaked over his eye. _'Of all the girls, I had to pick the dangerous one…'_

Splendont groaned and attempted to lift himself up, only to crash down with a yelp as broken ribs rattled inside him.

"You don't know what it's like living a traumatic childhood," the wolf growled ferociously.

"Don't hurt us…" begged Flaky, trying to hide a fresh cut on her arm.

"Get a hold of yourself, Moonlight!" ordered Splendid, masking his fear with anger.

The wolf turned to him, emotionless. "Moonlight's dead…" she said, "I'm her shadow, Eclipse."

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><p><em>"Eyes glowing like the fires of Hell...<em>

_Fur as gray as smoke and ash..._

_Hair as bright as white-hot flames..._

_I'm Moonlight's shadow: Eclipse"_


	2. Chapter 01: New Neighbour

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

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><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 01 – New Neighbour**

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><p><em>"Eyes as blue as the ocean…<em>

_Fur as gray as heavy fog…_

_Hair as white as the luminous moon…_

_Hence my name: Moonlight."_

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><p>"Flipqy, no!"<p>

Flaky dashed past several rooms as Flipqy chased her down, an animalistic lust evident in his eyes. She knew giving him an action-packed movie was a terrible idea for a surprise gift; then again, he said he kind of liked those…

"I got you now~!" jeered Flipqy as Flaky accidentally cornered herself in a hall. The red porcupine whimpered as the green bear tantalizingly walked over, brandishing his pocket knife. Flakes of dandruff showered from her as she shivered uncontrollably; tears were pooling in her eyes. "It won't hurt – trust me," he growled. Raising his knife above her head, Flaky curled into a ball as excited laughs escaped from his mouth.

Then, saved. _BEEP!_

"Huh? What?" wondered Flippy, shaking his head side-to-side as a car horn snapped him out of his flipped-out state. "Flaky? Oh shit, I'm sorry," he apologized as he helped her up, hugging her as he comforted the frightened porcupine. "I'll try harder next time – I promise," he added.

_'That's what you always say!'_ she thought, _'But_ _at least you get credit for trying your best.'_ She pushed him away to look into his grass-green eyes. "I'm not hurt, that's all that matters," she said, smiling at him.

_BEEP BEEP!_

"What now?" Flippy sighed, holding his girlfriend by the hand as they headed for the front door. Lumpy was out front, honking his vehicle horn. This time he managed to land a job as a mover.

"Hey, I could use some help here with all these things," he requested as Flippy walked closer.

"You could've just rung the doorbell," Flippy growled, "Or are you too chicken to do that?"

"I'm not a chicken! I'm a moose!" said Lumpy, getting out of the truck and kicking up small clouds of dust beneath his feet as he walked to the back.

"You're _really_ stupid, you know that?" said a new, shy feminine voice as a second door slammed just seconds after Lumpy managed to pull out a table.

Flaky was the first to look at the passenger – a gray wolf, with black fur inside her ears, around her eyes, her forearms, hands, and from the knee below. A bushy gray tail with a black tip swished gracefully behind her. Almost blindingly white hair flowed down her back; the tips just touching her hips. Ocean-blue eyes stared into Flaky's ruby orbs as she smiled shyly at her. She wore a light blue V-neck shirt that was open at the bottom, exposing her black belly; had dark blue sleeves and a band that ran around her, just above the waist. She even had matching dark blue mini-shorts to complete her attire, as well as a star pendant hung around her neck.

"Hi, I'm Moonlight – your new neighbour," greeted the wolf as she shook hands with Flaky. Flaky shyly returned the greeting and introduced herself and Flippy, who was helping Lumpy unload the furniture from the truck.

"Welcome to Happy Tree Town!" said Flaky, "I'm sure you're gonna love it here." A sudden yelp drew the two girls to Lumpy who had accidentally dropped a couch on his own foot.

"Clumsy idiot…" mumbled Flippy. The moose gave a light chuckle and proceeded to carry the couch to a small villa. "Nice place," Flippy complimented, "I'm surprised it's still standing after years of being uninhabited." Moonlight couldn't help but giggle as she unlocked the front door.

As they helped the wolf with her furniture, Flippy couldn't help but notice most of it were made of fire-resistant material. "Custom-made," she explained, "I…have a bad case of pyrophobia." He couldn't help but notice there was hesitation in her voice, but he shrugged it off.

_"It could be a lie. Maybe she loves fire – just didn't want to ruin her nice furniture…"_ echoed Flipqy's voice, followed by a snicker.

"Would you shut up?" said Flippy. Everyone turned to him with a questioning look. "Sorry about that, I wasn't talking to you," he apologized, "It was just – uh – my imaginary friend."

"Right…" breathed the wolf. Flaky suppressed a giggle and helped push an oak table into the dining room.

A few hours later, Moonlight invited them to dinner as thanks for helping out. "I don't really know that many recipes, but I'm always ready to learn anything new," she said as she stirred a pot of boiling spaghetti sauce.

"If you want, we can show you around town tomorrow," Lumpy offered. As Moonlight served out the spaghetti, a little sauce spilled onto the table. Flippy noticed the red stain and began to whimper; Flaky froze as she knew what was going to happen.

_"Blood__…"_ growled Flipqy as he recalled the war…

Without warning, Flippy began to growl as he scrunched his grass-green eyes – which then flashed into golden orbs that stared menacingly at everyone. Lumpy immediately noticed and bolted out of the villa, screaming as he drove off. Flipqy laughed evilly and pounced onto Moonlight, who shrieked and frantically kicked him off before he could strangle her; the terrified wolf then ran out the door as Flipqy gave chase. Flaky – who regained composure – ran to the living room and brought back a throw pillow; intercepted and smacked Flipqy's face, snapping him back to normal.

"What the hell was wrong with you?" demanded Moonlight as she took cover behind a couch.

"Sorry about that – my boyfriend's got PTSD," Flaky explained, "He flips out involuntarily due to war trauma." The bear hung his head in shame, for he had almost ruined dinner with his behavior; immediately took his medication to calm down. Moonlight's anger turned to sympathy as she petted his head, forgiving him.

After dinner and a few minutes of discussing tomorrow's plans, Flippy and Flaky went back to his barracks-inspired home. "She's not so bad," commented Flippy, "But she does behave like you sometimes."

"I'm not _that_ shy," Flaky countered, "Okay, maybe a little. But I'm better than her!" He laughed and scooped her into his arms before kissing her lips. "What? You thought I got jealous back there?"

"No," he replied, "I _know_ you got jealous." Flaky blushed, but it faded away as he hugged her. Ever since she moved in with him, he was secretly studying her reaction everytime he talked to any other girl in town. "You know you're the only girl for me~!" he added, earning a giggle from her. Within Flippy's mind, Flipqy rolled his eyes and tried his best to ignore them.

Meanwhile, as Moonlight cleaned up the dishes, her eyes fell on a familiar picture stuck to the fridge. "Mom…" she quietly whined, tracing her fingers along the edges of the photograph. She looked exactly like her, except for the white markings, black hair, and green eyes. Growling sadly, she looked away as she finished tidying up. _'I'll avenge you…'_ she swore to herself, _'They'll pay for taking you away from me!'_


	3. Chapter 02: First Blood

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

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><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 02 – First Blood**

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><p>Next day, Flaky drove Moonlight to the town centre – Flippy would've joined, but he had 'issues' to deal with first; said he'll catch up later.<p>

"Listen – just because she seems as vulnerable as Flaky doesn't mean you'll have to pick on her too!" he yelled into the mirror.

"Ah, shut up!" Flipqy yelled back, "Besides, I believe she's the better 'prey' than your spiky little girlfriend…" Flippy suppressed a growl and glared daggers at his 'reflection'. "Fine, I'll leave the bitch alone…" Flipqy finally added, resulting in Flippy leaving the mirror. _"But you'll never stop me once you flip out!"_ Flipqy declared as he stomped through Flippy's mind.

Back in town, Flaky had just gone to the girls' bathroom to fix her hair when Moonlight unintentionally attracted some attention. "Say…you new in town?" said one of the twin raccoons, "What's a girl like you doing alone in a place like this?" Moonlight immediately slapped his hand away as he tried to grope her butt.

"Lifty, where are your manners?" the other raccoon scolded as he pulled him back. "Sorry about that," he apologized, "I'm Shifty, by the way. What's yours?" Moonlight stayed silent. "Aww…what's the matter? Too shy to talk?" teased Shifty.

"Actually…Moonlight wouldn't want to get along with you guys," said Flaky as she exited the bathroom. Just as they turned to leave, Lifty and Shifty blocked their path, much to the girls' annoyance. "And we're not in the mood to purchase your stolen goods. Now if you'll excuse us –"

"Get her out of here," Shifty ordered. Flaky protested as Lifty dragged her away. "Now…where was I…" breathed the fedora-wearing raccoon, "Ah yes. I could take you to all the best sites in Happy Tree Town – and then take you to an exquisite restaurant to freshen up. Then maybe take you to a movie and –"

"Not interested," the wolf interrupted, shoving him away. Shifty suddenly grabbed her arm, grinning as she stared back at him. Moonlight smirked and grabbed his wrist, causing the raccoon to yelp as she twisted his arm and broke his bone. Lifty heard him and ran back with Flaky right behind him. "Do you know what happens to annoying pests like you?" Moonlight growled. Shifty whimpered as his arm throbbed painfully. "You don't wanna know…" she added, releasing him.

"Come on, Lifty…" hissed Shifty as he cradled his broken arm, "This bitch is too difficult to reason with." As Flaky watched the raccoons scamper off, Moonlight giggled and flipped her hair back.

"How did you do that?" the porcupine asked as they headed to a caféteria, "I mean, you scared them off real good!" Moonlight's smile suddenly turned into a frown as she looked away. Taking the hint, Flaky said it's alright if she doesn't want to talk about it. Just then, Flippy showed up and the trio took their seats by the window as Petunia handed them the menus.

"We have a special – oh hey, new in town?" asked the blue skunk the moment she noticed Moonlight. The wolf smiled shyly and nodded. "Uh…you got a little something on your arm…" she commented, squinting at a speck of dirt clinging to the gray fur, "Let me get that for you." Flippy couldn't help but snicker as the wolf tried not to growl while Petunia grabbed a washcloth and scrubbed a bit too hard – almost getting through to her bone. "There we go~!" she cheered.

"Um…thanks?" replied Moonlight, uncertain of what else she should say. By this time, Flippy was trying his best not to laugh.

"Petunia, you gotta get over your OCD – it's embarrassing when you treat customers like that…" said a pink chipmunk behind her as she served Nutty some extra-sugary pancakes.

"Sorry, Giggles…" the blue skunk apologized. "Anyway, is it gonna be the usual or would you like today's special?" she offered.

"The usual for me and Flaky," replied Flippy as soon as he calmed himself, "And…what about you, Moonlight?" There was no reply. "Moonlight?" he repeated, "What are you having?" Flaky waved her hand before the dazed wolf's eyes.

"Huh? Oh…um…I'll have today's special. Thanks," she finally replied. Petunia smiled and relayed the orders to Giggles. "Sorry about that," she apologized, "Was having a flashback."

"About what?" wondered Flaky. Once again, Moonlight was quietly frowning as she looked away. Flippy recognized this behavior all too well – he was the same when he related his war trauma to his girlfriend.

"I think it's best to tell us when you're ready," he suggested, earning a slight smile from Moonlight. Just then, Petunia served Flippy and Flaky's breakfast – French toast doused with honey – and Moonlight's 'special' order – scrambled egg with bacon and cheese mixed in it.

A sudden _CRASH_ startled almost everyone in the caféteria – Nutty had accidentally knocked over his glass of extra-sweetened milk as he reached for the maple syrup. Almost immediately, Flippy began to lose control…until Flaky doused his face with a glass of water. "Thanks…" he breathed.

But Moonlight wasn't so lucky – she happened to see the stove's flame as Giggles tossed a burger into the air; before long she began to whimper and clench her fists. "Hey, is she alright?" asked Nutty, only to be answered by the wolf bolting out of her chair and into the girls' bathroom, growling like a mad dog. Flaky, now worried, cautiously walked after her with Petunia on her heels.

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Moonlight was growling at her own reflection as she clenched the sides of the sink, her nails scratching the porcelain. Flashbacks of being surrounded by fire flooded her mind; she began to scream as she remembered what happened that day, several years ago…

Alarmed, Petunia rushed past Flaky and knelt next to a now-sobbing Moonlight. "I-It's all my fault…I could've saved her…" the wolf whimpered, "But the flames…all I did was scream and cry. I'm so sorry, Mom…"

"She's having a breakdown," said Petunia, "Flaky, get me a glass of water." The porcupine walked out and returned seconds later with a tumbler full of cold water. "Here…drink up, you'll feel better," the blue skunk assured her.

Outside, Flippy explained Moonlight's 'problem'. "That poor girl…" sympathized Giggles, "Did she tell you how she happened to develop it?" Nutty was too hyper to notice what was going on and left the caféteria, jittering crazily.

"She couldn't – she's not ready, I guess," the war veteran replied. Just then, Moonlight was helped out of the bathroom with Flaky holding her up while Petunia cleaned up Nutty's mess, mumbling angrily about him being too hyperactive to stay and help. "How is she?" he asked.

"A little better," replied Flaky. She then helped the wolf take her seat…and said girl suddenly flopped her head down on the desk with a _THUD_, followed by a quiet sob. "I know what could cheer you up," said Flaky, "How about a trip to the park?" After an awkward moment of silence, Moonlight agreed to the idea as she forced herself to smile.

The park wasn't quite far; Giggles and Petunia decided to join them for a break and some fresh air. Cuddles, Toothy and Handy were having a game of Frisbee and were having a good time – well, except for Handy of course. "Maybe we should just play soccer," the yellow rabbit suggested, having been fed up of seeing the orange beaver's signature frustrated look.

"No way, I'm fine!" Handy insisted. He then saw the small group heading towards them. "Hey Petunia!" he called out, "You guys wanna play? The new girl can join too," he offered.

"Sure," said Moonlight, "I love Frisbee!" As soon as everyone stood in a circle, Toothy threw the Frisbee to Moonlight – but it sailed over her head and the wolf began to chase it. But she didn't see Lumpy…she didn't notice the bench he was sitting on…and she stumbled, screaming as she flipped over and bashed her head on the pavement, knocking herself unconscious.

"MOONLIGHT!" they screamed, rushing over to her. Lumpy bent over and inspected the wolf – a concussion to the head, bleeding profusely from a deep cut. "Flippy, look away!" the blue moose shouted, and the said bear turned immediately without a question. "Oh man…" whimpered Toothy, "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"It's not your fault," said Handy, "Come on, we'd better take her to the hospital." But at that moment, the wolf suddenly sat up and startled everyone. "Don't do that!" the orange beaver scolded, but then regretted his choice of words as the wolf quietly moaned in pain.

_"Come on, look at her. I bet she's bleeding pretty badly too…"_ Flipqy tempted, but he didn't dare turn. _"I order you to!"_ the voice growled. Flippy could handle these situations, but when push turned to shove, he knew he had to do something to shut him up – but the strong scent of fresh blood drowned his thoughts and he felt himself lose his sanity.

Moonlight heard the familiar growl. "Oh no…" she whimpered; Flaky and Lumpy ran off with her in the moose's arms as soon as they noticed. Flipqy swiftly turned and sliced through Giggles' torso before pulling out her intestines and strangled Petunia with them. Cuddles, Toothy and Handy tried to run, but were then lassoed by the same intestine and tied together by the necks. "Too bad you can't _hang_ around for long…" he jeered as the three dangled a few feet off the ground, suffocating them to death. The insane bear then chopped up all his current victims and spread their remains around a tree, snickering at his work.

Meanwhile, Flaky and Lumpy hid themselves in an alley with a now-dizzy Moonlight leaning against a wall. "I don't…feel…" she whined, fainting before she could finish her sentence. "Moonlight? Moonlight!" screamed a frantic Flaky.

"There you are…" growled Flipqy. Flaky whimpered and began dragging Moonlight away. Lumpy tried to stop him, but Flipqy swung his knife around so the moose couldn't touch him. Just when he thought he missed, Lumpy suddenly crumbled into pieces – literally. "Your turn…" he whispered menacingly as he strolled over to the girls. Flaky realized she's trapped – before her a psychotic killer; behind her a pile of burning garbage. She wanted to scream, but the smoke choked her words. But then the unconscious wolf began to stir…

"I don't think so!" Moonlight growled, snapping awake as she jumped to her feet and pounced, howling viciously. Flipqy didn't have time to react and was tackled to the ground; screamed agonizingly as she began to claw at his flesh. "GET OFF ME!" Flipqy demanded, but the wolf didn't let up and ripped out his heart; he blacked out within seconds.

Flaky couldn't see Moonlight's eyes for they were covered by her hair, but she did notice her reaction turning from 'frenzied' to 'terrified'. "O-Oh no…" the wolf whimpered, dropping the heart to the ground, "W-What have I done…" Before Flaky could stop her, Moonlight got up and ran away crying.

"What…on…" the porcupine breathed. She then bit her lip as she noticed Flippy's mutilated body and held back a gagging feeling in her throat. Gathering herself, she picked up what's left of her boyfriend and rushed to the hospital that – luckily – happened to be nearby.


	4. Chapter 03: Accepting Death

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

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><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 03 – Accepting Death**

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><p>"Moonlight, are you home?" asked Flaky, letting herself and Flippy in as they realized the door was unlocked. "Moonlight?" she repeated. They found her curled up on the bed in her bedroom, clutching her mother's photograph in her claws as she sobbed. Flippy noticed the fur around her arms were soaked. <em>'Was she crying all night?'<em> the red porcupine wondered as she sat next to her; attempted to lift the wolf's chin.

The sudden movement felt quite foreign to her. Sad blue orbs pooled with tears as she noticed Flaky, but then widened into fright as she realized Flippy was in the room. "How – you – I mean –!" she stammered, backing up and yelping as she fell off the bed. The photograph flew out of her hand and drifted onto the covers. "I-I-I thought…I mean…" she whimpered, shivering like a frightened mouse.

"It's okay. Flaky told me everything as soon as I revived at the hospital," said Flippy. As he proceeded to help her up, Moonlight shifted away from him. "I'm alive, alright?" he said, trying to add amusement in his voice, "See? I'm right here – in one piece too."

_"I can't fucking believe it!"_ Flipqy yelled in his head, _"She killed me!"_ Flippy expected to hear more yelling and cursing, but instead he heard a softer tone. _"Flippy, I mean it when I say this – stay away from her…"_ whispered Flipqy.

"Would you excuse me, honey?" asked Flippy. Flaky nodded and resumed to trying to talk to Moonlight. After finding the bathroom, Flippy stared hard into his reflection – sure enough, Flipqy appeared. But he wasn't smirking or sneering this time…he looked _terrified_. "Well, this is a first…" said Flippy, "What's gotten into you?"

"I hate to admit this, but…" confessed his alter ego, "She's as bad as I am. I mean, come on! You must've seen what she did when I took over your body."

"All I saw was a wolf defending herself," countered Flippy, "And you were caught off guard." Flipqy wanted to say more, but all that came out was a whimper. "What? Don't tell me you're scared of an innocent wolf," asked Flippy, resisting his urge to laugh.

"It's not funny!" Flipqy yelled. Flippy rolled his eyes and left the bathroom, but Flipqy wasn't done talking yet. _"Seriously, something's wrong with her. Stay away until she's –"_

"End of discussion!" the war veteran ordered, and for the first time in his life, his alter ego didn't talk back. "Good…" he sighed in relief, walking back to the bedroom. "Moonlight, are you okay?" he asked; said wolf was back on the bed, hugging her knees.

"Do I _look_ okay?" came the bitter reply. Flaky shrugged and turned to the photograph; picked it up and noticed similarities between her and the wolf in the picture – the only difference was the white fur markings, black hair and emerald-green eyes that made Moonlight an almost contrasting version of the wolf in the picture. "Starlight…" the wolf whispered.

"Excuse me?" said Flaky. Moonlight reached out and took the photograph from her hands; stared at it gloomily for what seemed like an eternity. "Mom's name is Starlight," the wolf finally spoke, "I lost her in a fire."

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><p><em>It was Moonlight's 10th birthday. As usual, the house was empty except for two wolves – her mother never invited guests to their home for security reasons; only let her out to play as long as she's with her.<em>

_"Happy birthday, my little puppy~!" greeted Starlight as she hugged her daughter. Said 10-year-old giggled as she nuzzled noses with her mother and wagged her tail excitedly. "Stay right here. I'll make sure your cake's all ready," she gushed as she walked to the kitchen. Moonlight cheered as she hugged a teddy bear – her mother had just given it to her this morning when she woke up. Along with it came a purple bow (which was used to tie her then-shoulder-length hair into a ponytail) and a star pendant identical to her mother's._

_Everything was fine…until she turned around and saw the orange flicker of flames in the kitchen. "Mom!" she screamed, dropping her bear and running to the kitchen – only to be blown backwards by an explosion. She swore she could hear her voice. "Mom, no!" she screamed louder as flames surrounded her. "MOM!" she screamed once more. Smoke filled the room and she began to choke, gasping as she tried to escape…but the smoke was too thick and she blacked out on the floor seconds later._

_When she came to, she was outside and alone on the grass. Scorch marks and dirt covered her once-clean soft fur. Her hair had come undone – the purple bow was torn up. The billowing smoke and the roaring flames made one assumption crystal clear – her home was ablaze, and with it, her mother…_

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><p>Moonlight was sobbing again while her hair acted as a curtain to hide her face. "Ssh…" comforted Flaky as she hugged her, "There, there…" Flippy sighed, telling himself he never broke down like that – or did he? <em>'I don't think that matters,'<em> he thought.

"Guys, about yesterday…" said Moonlight as she looked up with reddened eyes, "One: I'm sorry. Two: How are you still alive after I mutilated you?" Flippy and Flaky looked at each other and shrugged.

"Death isn't permanent here," Flaky replied nonchalantly, "No matter how anyone dies, they always come back good as new the next day." Moonlight cocked her eyebrows in disbelief. "That is…" Flippy added, "_If_ you stay within the town. If you die outside of it and not get brought back by midnight, you're history." The gray-black-and-white wolf only stared at them with a straight face, not buying their story. "Nobody knows how or why it turned out that way," he added, "Even Sniffles couldn't make heads or tails of it."

"But enough of that," Flaky intervened, "Flippy and I are here to tell you something else." He then pulled out a pamphlet from his pocket and handed it to a now-curious Moonlight. "We thought this could be the best opportunity to have you introduced to everyone in town," the green bear suggested.

_**OUTDOOR DISCO NIGHT**_

_**Venue: Happy Tree Park**_

_**Time: 8pm – 12am**_

"Disco? Tonight? But I can't dance…" said Moonlight, blushing in embarrassment. Flaky explained she didn't need to if she doesn't want to; the couple couldn't really dance themselves. "Well…I could use some fresh air," the wolf replied, her smile finally returning to her lips. "That's better~!" cheered the porcupine as she hugged the now-giggling wolf.

Later that night, about 30 minutes before the party – decorations were still being put up and the catering had just arrived; only about half the town was there. Disco Bear (he hosted the party) was trying to flirt with Petunia and Giggles while the said girls ignored him as they tied balloons to some branches; Cuddles and Toothy were helping Handy with the banner. Flaky decided to help with the balloons…but after accidentally popping a few of them, she decided to help Lumpy and Nutty with the party food instead – and also try and keep the squirrel away from the candy.

"Oh yeah~!" purred Disco Bear as he spied Moonlight; immediately danced his way to her. "Here comes trouble…" Flippy growled under his breath, lightening up as he added, "Just try not to escalate it. I'll be with Flaky if you need anything." Sounds of giggling were then heard as Flippy tickled his girlfriend, almost making her drop some pizzas. "You must be the new girl the town heard about," breathed Disco, "I must say – you're hotter than I thought you were."

"Um, thank you…" replied Moonlight, grooming her tail as she tried to hide her nervousness. _'He's not that bad…'_ she thought. "So…wanna take the first dance number once the party starts? It's okay if you can't move right, baby – I'll lead and you follow," he suggested, holding her close by the waist. _'Okay, this is so wrong!'_ she mentally screamed, faking a giggle as she twisted away from him. "Something wrong?" asked the now-confused orange bear.

"I…uh…" she whimpered, "Well, you see, I –"

"I think you're scaring her," replied another male voice. _'That's not Flippy,'_ she noted, turning around to find a blue flying squirrel. "She's new here, so I don't think she's up for a first date right off the bat," he added.

"I was only trying to ask her out to dance," said Disco, trying his best not to look irritated. Moonlight clutched her tail in embarrassment. "But okay, she was probably saying 'no' the whole time," the bear sighed, heading back to Giggles and Petunia.

"T-Thanks…" she stammered, "Who are you anyway?"

"Splendid the Flying Squirrel~!" he boasted; giggles bubbled out from the gray-black-and-white wolf. "You're Moonlight, I presume?"

"Yeah, I moved in two days ago," she explained, "Next to Flippy's." At the name, he froze. "W-What something I said?" she asked as Splendid glanced at Flippy, who was wrestling playfully with Flaky while being cheered on.

"You live next to _him_?" the blue flying squirrel asked uneasily, earning a nod from the shy wolf. "Well, as long as you stay out of trouble – and his fits – you're safe." Moonlight looked at him as if he were crazy. "Let me guess…you've seen him 'flip' already," he said, earning another nod. "I'm surprised you're still alive…" he added, incredulous, "He usually kills anyone nearby when in that state."

"She didn't need to know that, Splendid…" Flippy growled as he walked over. Flaky rushed over and stood between the two; beckoned Moonlight to help out and therefore walked her away from the scene. "What are you doing here anyway?" asked Flippy.

"A superhero needs a break once in a while," Splendid explained, "You can't expect me to go on saving everyone whenever they needed it."

"Saving? You kill most of them in the process," countered Flippy, "Remember the comic convention? I haven't been there – I'm not even a fan anyway – but it was all over the news."

"That was an accident, okay? Just like all the other –!" Splendid yelled. By now everyone was looking at them. "Don't mind us – it's just some…_manly_…talk," the hero lied, thumping his chest. Moonlight giggled once more as soon as everyone resumed what they were doing. "Showoff," mumbled Flippy, but then realized his attention was on the newcomer. "Cute, isn't she?" he asked, lightening up the subject.

_"Cute, my ass!"_ cursed Flipqy, _"She's a dangerous bitch!"_

Flippy opened his mouth to say something, but then Lumpy's scream cut him off – the moose happened to be carrying some metal trays when he tripped on his own feet, and the sharp edge of one tray flew straight for the startled wolf, cutting her in half at the waist. Splendid immediately shoved the bear away from the scene while he rushed over, making Flippy go _SMACK_ against a tree (but fortunately didn't flip out). "Sorry!" the blue squirrel called, kneeling before a paling wolf.

"I-I'm okay…" she winced, "I'm…" but she fainted from massive blood loss. Flaky ran over to Flippy who was dizzy from the hit. Splendid carefully picked up both wolf halves and flew her straight to the hospital.

It was morning when Moonlight recovered; a sudden flashback startled her awake. "Calm down, you're fine," soothed Splendid as he sat next to her. The wolf immediately checked herself for last night's injuries – but to her amazement, it's as though she was never –

"You died at the party – I brought you here," Splendid explained, "Flippy wanted to check on you, but…you know." The wolf could recall what she has been told…

_"Death isn't permanent here. No matter how anyone dies, they always come back good as new the next day." / "That is…if you stay within the town. If you die outside of it and not get brought back by midnight, you're history." / "Nobody knows how or why it turned out that way. Even Sniffles couldn't make heads or tails of it."_

"They weren't kidding…" Moonlight breathed, "So…I really died?" She checked her waist again just to make sure; stretched and turned and realized she's still in one piece.

"I know this is all too weird to take in," Splendid admitted, "But you'll get used to it. The best way is to think about it as a bad dream. As for the party, Disco Bear decided to postpone it until you're better." He chuckled as Moonlight still seemed stunned about her 'death'. Finally shaking it off, she discharged herself from the hospital and allowed Splendid to walk her home.


	5. Chapter 04: Awakening

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media; the song used is a copyright of Evanescence_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 04 – Awakening…**

* * *

><p>Moonlight indeed felt better after her first 'death experience' – Flaky was a little too worried since she was one of the witnesses that night; seeing her alive, smiling <em>and<em> in one piece was more than a relief to the otherwise-paranoid porcupine. Flippy had other thoughts…or more specifically, his alter ego does.

_"Is this town cursed or something?"_ Flipqy yelled frantically, _"That's it, I'll just kill her myself. I'll knock her out, drag her past the border and –"_ But Flippy refused to hear any more and blocked him out as he checked on the wolf. "For the hundredth time, I'm okay – and sorry I didn't believe you about the whole 'there's-no-permanent-death-here' thing," she apologized.

"It's no biggie," said Flippy. Just then, Splendid flew over and landed next to Moonlight. "What brings you here today?" the bear joked, "Checking on your _girlfriend-to-be_~?" He snickered as Splendid blushed unintentionally.

"S-Shut up, it's not like we're dating already," the flying squirrel stammered, forcing a grin as Moonlight looked at him with a 'he's-just-kidding' look. "Anyway…" he continued, regaining his composure, "If it's okay with you, could I pick you up tonight for the party?" Flippy chuckled at the obvious reason; Splendid didn't look too pleased.

When Moonlight didn't reply – she was blushing herself – Flaky insisted that she would love that. "F-Flaky!" the wolf stuttered, but she knew she was right. "So…does 7.30 sound good?" he asked; earning a quiet nod from the shy wolf as she clutched her tail. "Great! I'll see you then~!" he cheered, flying off as he tried to hide his excited grin.

"He's been acting funny since last night…" Flippy commented; Moonlight asked what he meant while Flaky giggled, noting the obvious. "Can't you tell? He _likes_ you," he replied. "H-He is kinda cute…" admitted Moonlight, blushing even harder, "But damn it, I've only been here for a few days. It's kinda early to –"

"Less talk, more preparations!" Flaky said as she pushed Moonlight to her home, "We've gotta get you all primped up for your _date_ tonight." Flippy couldn't help but chuckle as the wolf denied having a 'date' with the said flying squirrel.

_"Great…just great,"_ whined Flipqy, _"First she gets away with killing me, and now she's going on a date with my worst enemy. What could be worse?"_

"You being imprisoned in my mind for a full month?" Flippy joked as he looked into a puddle, smirking at his alter ego's frustrated face. "Relax! She's not gonna go on a frenzy and kill anyone tonight," he assured, "What happened before was –"

"It wasn't my fault!" Flipqy yelled, almost making the puddle ripple. "I was close – so close! – to killing her, and then she just jumped me!" Flippy decided not to take any more and left the puddle, splashing droplets as he stepped in it. _"You gotta listen to me! She's evil, and I know it!"_ Flipqy insisted, fear in his voice. He didn't want to say it – but maybe Flipqy already knew it – but now he thinks his alter ego has gone soft over a defensive matter…

Meanwhile, Moonlight was trying to sit still as Flaky brushed her hair. "Stop shaking," the porcupine scolded. "I can't – I'm nervous," Moonlight admitted, "I mean, I barely know Splendid. And how can you be certain that he 'likes' me?" Flaky shook her head, showering some dandruff to the floor.

"He brought you to the hospital last night _and_ he's also the one who asked you out – of course he likes you~!" Flaky assured as she looked over her collection of bows; decided she'll look better without it. After ruffling her fingers through her silky-white mane and then using a curling iron to create additional waves, she decided she looked ready.

"Am I interrupting your girly moment?" asked Flippy as he walked in. He and Flaky shared his bedroom ever since she decided to move in with him; he remembered her apologizing for scattering her dandruff everywhere she goes, but he said he didn't really mind it – not that much, actually. "Hey, she looks great!" he commented, "Good job, Flakes." Flaky giggled as she groomed Moonlight's tail.

"I don't know, guys…" Moonlight whimpered, "I mean, I just have a _bad _feeling something will go _horribly_ wrong." Flippy patted her back, saying everything will be fine.

Night falls…Moonlight was sitting curled up on her fire-resistant couch, staring blankly at her mother's picture. She lost count of the times she spent hours wondering if Starlight's soul was watching over her. Still, the fiery memory of her ruined 10th birthday burned somewhere in the darkest corners of her mind…

_"Just count yourself lucky to be alive…"_ echoed a voice, almost identical to her own but with a slightly dark tone. The startled wolf stood up in alarm and glanced around to find the owner of the voice. _"You can't remember how you ended up outside the house, can you?"_ the voice added, _"I'll tell you when the time is right."_ By now, Moonlight was whimpering and tears were pooling in her scared blue orbs; felt terrified as evil laughter seemed to echo around her. Without warning, she screamed and bolted for the door – and bumped right into Splendid.

"Oof!" he yelled, almost thrown backwards. Luckily, he regained his balance and caught her in his arms. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned about her earlier scream and tear-streaked face. Receiving no reply, he hugged her close and attempted to comfort her. "Moonlight…what's wrong?" he repeated.

"A voice…" she whispered, "I heard a voice – and I don't know where it came from." Concern turned to alert as he held her hand and walked right into her home; searched in every room but found no sign of an intruder. "But…But I was sure…"

"Probably just your imagination," he said. He then saw the photograph on the floor, almost torn in half; Moonlight immediately picked it up and held it close, mumbling about her being inconsiderate of her mother's life. "What are you talking about?" he asked, now confused. Left with no choice, she narrated her traumatic memory and added she developed her pyrophobia from that time. Splendid sat her down beside him and held her hands in his. "What happened that day is long gone," he explained, "You have to let it go."

"I can't…" she sobbed, "Everytime I see so much as a tiny flame, that memory flashes back to haunt me." The squirrel wanted to say something more, but got cut off when Flippy was heard calling her name. He too heard her scream and wanted to see if she's alright – Splendid explained that she thought there was an intruder and that it was merely a false alarm. After comforting the still-shaking wolf for a few more minutes, they suggested that going to the party could clear her head – Moonlight agreed with little hesitation.

They arrived just in time – Mime was entertaining Cub as he created balloon animals for the little bear while Pop stood nearby, satisfied with his son's happiness. Russell and The Mole were having a little swordfight with – of course – balloon swords. Sniffles was standing close to Cro-Marmot reading a book, both wearing silly party balloon hats. Everyone was having a ball of a time…except one.

"You're still fretting over that 'mysterious voice', aren't you?" asked Flaky who had just been told about it by her boyfriend. "I know what I heard," Moonlight insisted, "I swear!" The red porcupine held up some chocolates before the frowning wolf, saying that eating some could cheer her up and forget about the earlier incident. But just as she was about to help herself to one, Nutty jittered up to them and took the entire handful before running off – that simple gesture put a smile on Moonlight's face while Flaky rolled her eyes.

"Some party, huh?" Disco Bear called out. Moonlight growled inwardly as he stepped closer. "So…feeling all better? And I must say you look _dashing_ tonight," he growled, earning a snarl from her. "Aww…you sound so cute and sexy when you do that~!" he commented, clicking his tongue despite the wolf's steady glare on him.

"In case you haven't noticed, she's already got a date," Flaky informed, annoyed by his approach towards her neighbour. Upon hearing that, Giggles, Petunia and Lammy – who were standing nearby – gasped in wonder. "Date~? With who? Lucky girl~!" they gushed, making Moonlight feel slightly uneasy since she unintentionally became the center of attention; Splendid smiling affectionately at her didn't ease the butterflies in her stomach.

Disco Bear immediately noticed the connection and backed off, saying he was only talking about how tonight's catering is simply too delicious to leave out; the girls noticed that too and began to whisper excitedly to each other. Lumpy then walked up onto the stage and announced it was time to sing karaoke. "Oh man…" whined Handy.

"Each singer – or singers – will be picked randomly by Mime, and Cro-Marmot will pick a random song," the moose explained, "Whoever sings best becomes King, Queen, or King and Queen of Disco Night." As he spoke, the reindeer was flashing random names on a screen. Cuddles and Giggles, Handy and Petunia, Flippy and Flaky were all holding hands with their partner, hoping they'll get picked together. Moonlight was nervously clutching her tail while Splendid held her by the waist, saying she needs to ease up.

Almost everyone had a turn – fortunately, the couples were chosen together…but one couldn't help but think it was rigged. Finally, only Moonlight and Splendid were left. "Come on, think of it as…uh…breaking the ice to the whole town," Lammy whispered. Lifty and Shifty winked at each other and shoved the two onstage despite the wolf's protests of her not being much of a singer and the flying squirrel's excuse of 'not in the mood'.

"Let's make this a duet, then!" Lumpy announced, earning cheers and whistles from the crowd. Splendid immediately noticed Moonlight shaking despite the stage lights' heat bearing down on them; held her hand and calming her down almost immediately…until she heard the song's intro. _'Oh man…'_ she mentally complained, _'Looks like I'm center stage.'_ Taking a few deep breaths, she then exhaled as she sang the following lyrics.

Their song selection: _**Bring Me To Life by Evanescence**_

[Italics: Moonlight / In parenthesis: Splendid]

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?_

_Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb…_

_Without a soul; my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back…home_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_(Wake me up) Wake me inside_

_(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside_

_(Save me!) Call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up) Before I come undone_

_(Save me!) Save me from the nothing I've become_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Now that I know what I'm without,_

_You can't just leave me…_

_Breathe…into me, make me real_

_Bring me…to life_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_(Wake me up) Wake me inside_

_(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside_

_(Save me!) Call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up) Before I come undone_

_(Save me!) Save me from the nothing I've become~!_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Bring me to life…_

_(I've been living a lie – there's nothing inside)_

_Bring me to life…_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Frozen inside without your touch_

_Without your love, darling_

_Only you are the life among the dead~!_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_(All of this time, I can't believe I couldn't see_

_Kept in the dark – but you were there in front of me)_

_I've been sleeping a thousand years, it seems_

_Got to open my eyes to everything~!_

_(Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul)_

_Don't let me die here_

_(There must be something more~!)_

_Bring me to life~!_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_(Wake me up) Wake me inside_

_(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside_

_(Save me!) Call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up) Before I come undone_

_(Save me!) Save me from the nothing I've become~!_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Bring me to life…_

_(I've been living a lie – there's nothing inside!)_

_Bring me to life~!_

Upon holding the note for the last word, Moonlight was sweating from the lights' heat and from trying to exhale as long as she could until the end of the song; she was panting quietly as she tried to catch her breath, smiling as they applauded their performance. "Excellent performance!" Lumpy congratulated, "And now Mime will announce the winner." But before he could do that, one of the lights suddenly short-circuited and sent sparks flying into the air, landing onto the party banner. The familiar smell of smoke invaded Moonlight's nostrils; she turned and confirmed her worst fear – and screamed as the stage was suddenly set of fire. Lumpy and Mime escaped before it spread while Splendid grabbed Moonlight and flew upwards just as the stage crashed.

There was some commotion on the ground…Flipqy had emerged at the sight of flames as he recalled soldiers brandishing flamethrowers as they torched an army base. Cuddles was his first target – stabbed his knife through the rabbit's torso and pulled out his guts, gleefully tossing them around and unintentionally letting them land in some unfortunate hands. In a panic, everyone fled into the trees. "Hide-and-Seek~!" he called out, running after his victims.

"At least you're safe up here," Splendid breathed…and then realized Moonlight was unusually quiet. "Moonlight?" he asked, only to get a low growl. Then he saw a flash of gold past her silky bangs, followed by an evil sneer forming on her lips…

All Splendid could remember was having his heart clawed out and that he was falling; blacking out as he smashed his head on the ground, snapping his neck.


	6. Chapter 05: Insane, In Love

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

_[Slight 'lemon' near the end of this chapter – I think I'll leave the "real thing" for later]_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 05 – Insane; In Love**

* * *

><p>Evil laughter spilled from Flipqy's blood-soaked muzzle as he licked Lammy's blood – after he carved her up into bite-sized pieces. "Tonight's main course – fresh mutton," he announced, glancing at the tied up victims, "Who'd want the first bite~?" He looked at the Happy Tree girls bound to a tree by Lumpy's mangled skin; the skinned moose lay shivering on the ground, bleeding but still alive somehow.<p>

"Crap, what do we do?" Lifty whispered as he and his brother hid themselves in another tree, watching the scene; Shifty signaled him to stay quiet. "We can't just leave them there!" Lifty insisted. "Shut up! He'll hear you," Shifty whispered back, glaring at him. Disco Bear, Nutty, Toothy, Russell, Handy, Pop and Cub, The Mole, Sniffles, Mime, and Cro-Marmot were bunched up together on a separate tree – and all are forced to watch the horrible scene as Flippy tried to feed Giggles some of Lammy's remains.

Flaky was the only one screaming at him to stop – but her words went unheeded due to being the only one having a gag in her mouth. Meanwhile, Giggles was forced to swallow the raw meat, grimacing as it slid down her throat. "Gross…" Shifty hissed. Flippy smirked and looked up. "AH!" yelled the raccoons, scampering and jumping to another tree the moment he locked eyes with them. "Run, guys!" yelled Petunia, "Get Splendid!"

"Splendid's unavailable…" growled a dark feminine voice. The raccoons clung onto a branch as they noticed Moonlight a few meters away from Flipqy, dragging a dead flying squirrel as she walked closer. Her head was down and her bangs shielded her eyes, but Flipqy remembered that grin – that _evil_ grin. "Seems you got yourself a nice little dinner party," she added sarcastically, "Why didn't you invite me?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?" asked Flipqy, suddenly alert. The wolf only snickered in reply; tossed Splendid's corpse to him as though he was nothing but a pillow. She made quite a masterpiece out of him: his face was a mess of deep bleeding scratches and his eyes were missing; his torso was ripped in several places, ribcage peeping through holes where the flesh appeared to have been bitten off; his limbs were skinned and the blood seeped onto the ground, staining it crimson with fresh flowing blood. Flipqy turned his eyes away from the corpse and looked at Moonlight – blood patches stained her fur it looked as though she was wearing a tattered cloak; her hair was a mess of frizzes and (he just noticed) there was blood all over her gray muzzle.

_'What's going on here?' _was all Flaky could think – and she knew everyone was sharing the same thought by the sick look in their eyes. _'Did Moonlight kill Splendid?' 'Why would she do something like this?' _were questions that circulated as they tried to take in the scene.

"Holy shit…" whimpered Flipqy as he backed away; realized Moonlight was hungrily licking her bloody claws. "What's the matter?" she joked, "Don't like my work?" She casually strolled over and picked up a cube of what used to be Lammy; popped it into her mouth like a candy drop. "Fresh lamb…" she purred, "A wolf's favourite kill…" She trailed off as she eyed everyone's terrified faces. She swept her bangs back and revealed that her orbs were golden, mimicking Flipqy's menacing stare.

Flipqy couldn't decide whether to kill her or simply threaten her – something about her eyes simply froze him to the spot while she walked over to him. His natural 'killer instinct' seemed to have died seconds after she showed up – he could still remember the incident in the alley; how she jumped him, clawed him and ripped out his heart. Moonlight growled seductively and traced a claw along his jaw, enjoying his fearful expression. "Tell you what," she breathed, "I'll let you – all of you – go…for now. But you won't be so lucky next time…" said Moonlight.

A sudden snap was heard; she looked up and saw the raccoons crack the weak branch with their combined weight and fall right on top of her, knocking her flat to the ground. "Ow!" she yelped; Flipqy immediately jumped back fearing she'll get up and retaliate…but then something seemed odd. "W-Where am I?" Moonlight wondered. Lifty and Shifty, equally confused as the green bear, got off her as they noticed the sudden change in tone and behavior.

_'Flippy,_ _I'm outta here_…' thought his alter ego, allowing him to regain control of himself. "Ugh…" groaned Flippy, massaging his temples. Flaky's muffled shouts drew his attention; he rushed over to remove the gag from her mouth, followed by releasing everyone.

"Yar! What happened here? Wench's gone bonkers or something?" demanded Russell. A confused Moonlight looked down at herself and noticed she was covered in blood. "No…not again!" she whined, not bothering to look at the mangled corpse as she ran off crying. "Moonlight, wait!" Flaky yelled, but Flippy held her back before she could run after her, saying she needs some time alone.

Sniffles, holding back a gagging feeling in his throat, inspected Splendid's corpse as he tried to ignore the smell. "He was already dead before she partially ate him," he said as he poked the canine-bitten holes, "His heart was ripped out and his neck's broken. This looks identical to what Flipqy would do."

"Well, it wasn't Flipqy who killed him," said Disco bear, "But dang! Who would've thought an innocent wolf like her was actually insane?" Nobody had an answer to that; some were even too scared to speak after what they've witnessed. But one thing's for certain: they've got two homicidal citizens, and one's scared of the other.

Meanwhile, Moonlight ran straight home and bolted the door shut before throwing herself into bed, crying her heart out. She didn't care if the blood stained her bedsheet. _"Why so upset?" _echoed the same voice from earlier, _"Aren't you glad you're still alive?" _Moonlight raised her head from the pillow and glanced around, failing to find the owner of the voice. _"Silly little wolf," _it continued. She sat up, alert as she scanned some more. _"I_ _can_ _tell you who started the fire on your 10th birthday…" _it offered. Just as she was about to agree, a silhouette appeared at her door.

"Heh, not bad for your second kill. I'm impressed," it said. Moonlight thought it was Splendid…until the figure strolled into the room. "Name's Splendont," said the red flying squirrel, "I'm Splendid's 'polar opposite' – or 'evil twin', if you prefer that title more."

"What do you want?" she asked as she wiped the tears away from her eyes, "And how did you get in here?" Splendont looked at the window; she turned and saw that it was forced open, deep indentations where his fingers probably crushed the frame and cracked the concrete. She turned back to him, startled as he was suddenly in front of her; yelped as he grabbed her wrists and pinned her down. "Let me go!" she whimpered, struggling beneath him.

"I can't believe Splendid actually likes you…" he growled, "When you could've been better off with me." And with that, he leaned down and nibbled her neck, enjoying her scream as his teeth bit at the flesh, drawing some blood. Just as he was about to ravish her further, she kneed him in the crotch, forcing him back as he held his privates in agony. "You little bitch…" he hissed, "Someday you'll pay for that – count on it!"

"Get…out…" she growled, watching him leave out the window. She then walked over to her bedroom mirror and inspected the unwanted hickey, frowning as her fur wouldn't cover it much. She then closed her eyes as she began to sob…but upon opening them, she was face-to-face with a twisted version of herself, who was grinning evilly. She immediately shook her head and looked again, only to see her pitiful reflection. "What's happening to me…" she wondered out loud. Taking a few deep breaths, she tells herself to calm down and apologize to everyone the next day. She then headed to the bathroom and undressed, tossing her blood-soaked clothes into the washing machine before taking a shower.

As the water pelted her softly, her mind drifted to Splendid. She could vaguely remember what happened after he scooped her into the air, away from the burning stage. "Damn it, girl…" she mumbled to herself, "Don't tell me you got a crush on him now." The thought of being held close to him sent a warm feeling through her entire body, followed by thinking something more romantic – the way their bodies would rub against each other as they kissed, the quiet moans that would escape her lips as he pushed himself into her tight orifice, listening to him groan as he –

"No, not yet…" she whimpered as she pushed away the thought of 'making love' with him, reminding herself it's too soon to think about that anyway. Finishing her shower, she dried herself and crawled into bed unclothed. As she dreamed about Splendid, her lips slowly formed a small smile…

What she didn't know was that Splendont was quietly watching her as he hid in the shadows, smirking as he thought of what he would to her someday. Hearing Flippy and Flaky's concerned voices, he silently sneaked away.


	7. Chapter 06: Rightful Possession

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

_[For those who don't know, "Whistle" is the puppy in Happy Tree Friends – look it up on Wikipedia]_

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><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 06 – Rightful Possession**

* * *

><p>It wasn't easy apologizing to everyone – some accepted it without hesitation, but fear was still evident in their eyes; others decided to think it over, leaving Moonlight to hope they'll leave it all behind them. "I just don't understand," she explained to Flaky, "All I remember was screaming my lungs out the moment I see fire, blacking out, and then being covered in blood when I wake up."<p>

The red porcupine was silent, trying to take it all in. "So…you just have no clue about what happened in between?" she finally spoke. Moonlight nodded. "How long has this been going?" Flaky asked. Moonlight frowned and hung her head down, saying she couldn't remember that; said she was chased out of every town she's been to because everyone kept calling her a 'monster'. Flaky immediately forgot why she was afraid of her; hugged the wolf close to herself. "I'm sure everyone will get used to it – they did with Flippy," said Flaky, acting cheerful.

"Get used to what?" asked the said bear as he strolled over to them, sitting on the park bench next to his girlfriend. Flaky gave him a summary of Moonlight's 'condition'. "Strange…" he mumbled, "How can you not remember killing Splendid and then freaking everyone out by showing his partially eaten –"

"Wait! Back up!" yelped the wolf as she freed herself from Flaky's arms and looked at Flippy, shocked. "I _killed_ Splendid?" she frantically asked, earning a quiet nod and a full description of his mangled corpse from the couple; Moonlight looked – and felt – like she was about to puke. "W-Where is he?" she demanded, "I gotta apologize! I-I –!"

"I'm right here…" a familiar voice replied. Moonlight turned and found Splendid frowning at her. "I heard everything – just happened to be passing by…" he trailed off as he noticed something peculiar. "Where did you get that?" he asked. Moonlight realized he was staring hard at her neck.

"Get what?" asked a now-nervous wolf as she held her hand over her 'love bite'. "That hickey – who gave that to you?" the flying squirrel demanded, sitting next to and then inspecting the reddish-pink mark barely hidden by her gray fur. Closer inspection revealed imbedded teeth marks breaking the skin. "Moonlight, tell me who touched you!" he yelled as he held the shaking wolf by the shoulders.

"Hey, take it easy!" Flippy yelled back, earning a glare from Splendid before it dissipated into regret. "Moonlight…" the bear calmly asked, "You got something to tell us?" The now-deeply-embarrassed wolf related her short encounter with Splendont last night. Flaky was shocked; Flippy was speechless; Splendid…he was angrily clenching his fists. "That bastard…" he growled, "It's bad enough he thinks he's better than me. And now he has the guts to lay his dirty hands on _my_ girl? I'm gonna –"

"_Your_ _girl?_ Since when?" asked a surprised wolf. Flippy and Flaky were chuckling to themselves as they watched the flying squirrel's expression change from anger to embarrassment. "Told you he likes her…" Flippy managed to tell Flaky with clenched teeth, barely controlling his laughter. "O-Okay, so what if I do?" Splendid stuttered, sweating profusely, "I mean, s-she's…I…w-well…" but he was cut off as Moonlight placed her hand on his, instantly calming him. That simple gesture suddenly made Flaky squeal with delight while Flippy whistled in amazement.

Splendid was at a loss for words as blue eyes locked onto each other; finally shook it off and held her close. "Don't worry, Moonlight…" he said, "I'll make sure Splendont doesn't try that again." And with that he hugged her, smiling as her warm body soothed him; he finally let go and flew off. "Where's he going?" she wondered out loud. "If I'm right…he's gonna –" began Flaky, but was silenced with a 'better-if-she-doesn't-know' look from her boyfriend.

Meanwhile – Splendont was just lounging around in an oak tree when he was suddenly shoved off his branch; immediately recovered and hovered in the air as he came face-to-face with a pissed off Splendid. "What the fuck is your problem?" his red doppelganger yelled, "And why in the middle of my afternoon nap, damn it?"

"Listen up!" Splendid yelled back, "I'm not gonna hurt you now – but if you do anything to Moonlight again, I'm gonna make sure your privates will be fed to Whistle!" Splendont rolled his eyes. "I mean it – STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

"You can say what you want, but you'll never keep me away," Splendont taunted, "Besides…the look on her face was priceless when I marked her." The blue flying squirrel couldn't take it anymore – he suddenly rammed him to the nearest tree; the sudden impact crushed Splendont's lungs, forcing him to cough up blood. "Okay…okay…" he rasped as Splendid strangled him, "I'll leave her alone." But as soon as he was released, Splendont dug his fist into his stomach, forcing Splendid to cough up bile. "I wasn't done…" he growled, "I'll leave her alone – _when I feel like it_!" And with that, he held his slightly weakened 'twin' by the head and face-planted his face to the ground, suffocating him with soil.

Splendid managed to throw him off, spitting out dirt before gulping in some air; pounced and pounded Splendont until most of his teeth were missing and his face looked like a quilt work of bruises and cuts. He retaliated by pulling at his 'wings', tearing them as he raked his fingers through the smooth skin; Splendid yelled in agony and got off him, wincing as he inspected the ruined skin flaps. Ignoring the pain, he managed to pin down the squirrel and pulled at his fur – and unintentionally pulling off the flesh as well, showing the bone underneath.

"ARGH!" Splendont screamed as one of his eyes got torn out; kicked Splendid off before whimpering as he covered his face, blood seeping between his fingers as he tries to cover the eye socket. "I…mean…it…" Splendid panted, "Leave…Moonlight…alone." Figuring his 'wings' won't be of any use now, he grumbled as he walked away.

Meanwhile, back in town – Moonlight was having a great time with Giggles, Petunia and Lammy (they decided to go on a shopping spree with her) when Lifty and Shifty rushed over to them, panicked. In short and quick breaths, the twin raccoons narrated what they saw when trying to hide their newest stash of stolen goods in a nearby oak tree. "What? I gotta go!" Moonlight yelled, "Just leave the stuff at my place!" And with that, she followed Lifty and Shifty to the woods, just in time to watch Splendid kneel onto one knee, panting heavily.

"_SPLENDID!_" she cried out, "Guys, get some help!" She then knelt next to the severely weakened squirrel, grimacing at the injuries he earned. "Relax, I'm fine," he insisted, frowning as an ambulance pulled up with Lumpy and Sniffles rushing over to him.

"Fine? _Fine?_ You could've gotten yourself killed!" Moonlight screamed; calmed herself and helped him up. "They're not that bad," said Lumpy, carefully inspecting Splendid, "But maybe a few stitches will be enough." Splendid followed Sniffles to the back of the ambulance to get nursed. Just then, a loud yelp echoing within the trees drew everyone's attention; Moonlight was the first to spring to the sound with Lifty and Shifty on her tail.

Splendont had tripped himself on an upraised root and fell face-first to the ground, landing on some scattered twigs which – unfortunately – pierced the exposed flesh on his legs. "Whoa! What happened to you?" asked Lifty, trying not to look grossed-out to the red flying squirrel's missing eye.

"None of your fucking business!" he yelled back; he noticed Moonlight glaring down at him. "Heh, what's the matter? Didn't like what I did last night?" he teased. Said wolf growled and pulled him up by the empty eye socket, the pain making Splendont wince in pain. Lifty and Shifty cringed at her ruthlessness.

"What's the matter? _You almost_ _tried to rape me_ – that's the matter!" she screamed into his face. "Hey, hey, calm down," said Shifty as he pulled her off, "He's been punished enough." As Shifty led her away while calmly holding her close and stroking her back, Lifty kicked some soil into Splendont's remaining eye; ignored him as he screamed like a baby.

Walking back to the ambulance, a patched-up Splendid looked worriedly at Moonlight. Sniffles and Lumpy checked on her and claim she's unhurt…except for the hickey which the wolf didn't want to talk about. "It's okay – she's fine," said Lifty, "Splendont doesn't look good, though." Said red squirrel was then seen not far behind them, glaring angrily at Splendid as he leaned against a tree before being tended to by Sniffles and Lumpy. "Should we take her home for you?" asked Lifty.

"I'll be fine," said Moonlight, freeing herself from Shifty's arms, "I can look after myself." Splendid said otherwise and insisted one of them should go with her. "I said I'll be fine!" she declared, walking away in a huff. Splendont was led to the back of the ambulance and was driven off, still glaring through the window.

"What's her problem?" asked Lifty. Shifty shrugged and looked at Splendid, who was silently following her with his eyes. "Why are you still here? It was your idea to walk her home," suggested the fedora-wearing raccoon; Lifty gently shoved Splendid until he was right behind her. Moonlight stopped and turned…then allowed Splendid to wrap one arm around her waist as they strolled together. Lifty and Shifty snickered to themselves and rushed home, both mumbling about spreading a rumor of the soon-to-be-couple.

Some time later, Splendont exited the hospital as he growled silently to himself. Calming down, he sat down on a nearby bench; pulled out a PDA and typed in the message: _"She's alive and well – her mother will be pleased to see her."_

Seconds later, he received a reply: _"Good. Make sure she stays that way. We'll be there ASAP."_ Smirking, he put the PDA away and laid back, basking himself in the sun.


	8. Chapter 07: Target

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

_[Okay, another "love scene" near the end of this chapter – and this time, a full one…]_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 07 – Target**

* * *

><p>Heading home is a relief for anyone who had a long day and wanted to rest up – but Moonlight's case was different this time. "What the?" she yelped as she noticed her windows smashed and her door bashed down; her groceries – which were left behind by the girls as she requested earlier – were scattered about on the porch. Splendid held her close and the two walked into the house, only to find Flippy and Flaky trying to re-order her place.<p>

"What…the…" she repeated. Her fire-resistant furniture was tossed upside down, stuffing spilling out from gaping holes; the tables were smashed and the chairs were reduced to nothing but splintered stakes. Pictures and other home accessories were taken off the blood-stained and bullet hole-riddled walls – either smashed into pieces or lying about on the floor, among the broken glass. Flippy yelped as he scratched his foot on a shard; Flaky helped him over to an untouched patch of floor and bandaged his foot, looking up at Moonlight as the wolf inched over with Splendid pushing away glass shards from her path.

Splendid couldn't believe what he saw; a blood-covered Flippy and Flaky looked at him apologetically. "Before you start anything," said Flippy as Moonlight opened her mouth, "I'll explain what happened here – and it's not my fault…mostly." Flaky then helped him up while Splendid unturned a three-seat couch for them to sit.

* * *

><p><em>Flippy and Flaky were heading home to catch a movie on TV when they saw some suspicious figures break and enter Moonlight's home. "They look familiar…" Flippy breathed, "Stay here." Flaky hid herself in the bushes while Flippy sneaked in…then flinched as Flippy's scream seemed to echo around her. Taking a few deep breaths, she urged herself to help him out – even if that meant risking her life.<em>

_Flippy – meanwhile – got caught in a net and was glaring at the tiger soldiers around him. One was yelling commands into his radio while the others thrashed his neighbour's home, obviously looking for something. Flaky's whimper suddenly drew their attention…followed by a yelp as some tiger soldiers grabbed her and brought her before him. "Where is she?" demanded one of the soldiers, "Tell us or she dies!" As the glint from a jackknife to Flaky's neck shone into his eyes, he lost his sanity…and broke out of the trap with his alter ego's strength._

_What happened next happened in a blur – Flipqy grabbed an AK-47 from one of the soldiers and aimed it into his mouth, blasting his brains onto the wall. He then used the butt and smashed the teeth out of another tiger as he tried to grapple him, followed by smashing his face into his head. "I'd duck if I were you!" he called out to Flaky. Just as the porcupine hit the floor flat, bullets whizzed past her as soldiers from the outside filed in, only to be shot dead where they stood. "Damn…I'm out," he cursed as he checked the empty cartridge. He then saw Flaky and her quills gave him an idea; helped her up and said, "If you wanna live, hold on tight!"_

_Flaky closed her eyes and held onto his arms without a thought; felt him swing her around like a club, screaming as blood sprayed in all directions. "Stop screaming, will you?" said Flipqy as he let her down, "It's over." The red porcupine opened her eyes and gasped at the bloodbath they've caused. "Alright, I'm outta here – I don't wanna be the first to see Moonlight go in a frenzy over this," he said, shaking his head as Flippy took over._

_"Flipqy's fault," was all Flaky could say when Flippy gaped at the mess he made. "We'd better get this cleaned up – start with the bodies," said Flippy, already dragging two to the backdoor._

* * *

><p>Flippy doesn't have a clue why the tiger soldiers were here <em>or<em> why they were asking for Moonlight; said wolf was quietly staring at the floor, wondering that herself. _"They've come to finish the job…" _echoed her dark voice, _"_Y_ou didn't die that day. They were sent to kill you…"_

"No, not true!" Moonlight screamed, clutching her head, "NOT TRUE!" Her dark voice only giggled evilly in reply. _"But they weren't the ones who started the fire on your ruined birthday," _it continued, _"Pay attention, and I'll tell you who did." _Moonlight whimpered, mumbling to herself as she tried to ignore that haunting memory.

"Moonlight?" asked Splendid, gently shaking her back to reality, "Are you okay? You were talking to yourself." Said wolf looked up into his blue orbs; suddenly hugged him as she sobbed. "H-Hey, careful…" he winced, "Still not completely healed from my fight earlier."

Flaky gently pried her off him. "It was that voice again…" whimpered Moonlight, "It told me those tiger soldiers were sent to kill me." Flaky held her close like a worried mother. "Why don't you sleep over at Sniffles' for tonight?" the porcupine suggested, "After all, his home's got a security alarm should they try to find you."

"I don't think so," said Flippy, "He said he's got a night shift with Lumpy at the hospital." Flaky then suggested Disco Bear – but her boyfriend immediately denied it, saying he'll be 'all over her' and she won't be left alone for one second; Handy and Petunia are out on a double-date with Cuddles and Giggles; Nutty, Toothy, and Mime have gone sailing with Russell; Lifty and Shifty are always busy with their 'thieving' business; The Mole and Cro-Marmot aren't of any help anyway.

"Guess that leaves Pop and Cub," said Splendid. Just as Flaky was about to dial Pop's number, Moonlight stopped her. "I'll be fine," she insisted, "I…I've had this situation happen before – minus the soldiers trying to kill me." Flippy suggested otherwise and insisted she should stay at the bears' for her own good. "After all, they're a bit closer to Splendid's place," he added, "Just give a shout, and he'll be right there."

"Yeah, thanks for giving her that info…" the blue flying squirrel sarcastically remarked. Flippy snickered and punched him playfully in the arm. "Come on, it's obvious – you like her!" said the green bear, "I bet the whole town will know by tomorrow." Splendid rolled his eyes and buried his face in his hands as he tried to hide his blush.

"Yeah, Pop? It's Flaky," she said into the phone, "Is it alright if Moonlight could stay with you for tonight? Her place needs…uh…" She looked at the three for any excuse she could give them; Flippy mouthed the word 'remodeling'. "Her place needs remodeling and won't be done until tomorrow," the porcupine half-lied, "Really? You sure Cub won't mind? Great! She'll be there in a bit." Hanging up, she asked Moonlight if she needed help with packing for one night…once they find her clothes in her ruined bedroom; Flippy and Splendid agreed to help.

As they searched for the cleanest (and mostly unwrinkled) set of pajamas for Moonlight to wear, Splendid's foot got caught in a mound of lingerie. As he held up a pair of thongs that got onto his nose, Moonlight blushed when he caught him staring at them. Flippy noticed the black lacy panties and looked away; chuckled nervously at a jealous Flaky. "Give that back!" whined the wolf as she tried to snatch them from a now-playful squirrel, "Seriously, give it back. It's mine!"

"I know," he jeered, "I'm just wondering why you'd keep a pair like this lying around." Moonlight then pounced and the two fell to the floor with a _THUD_, muffled by the scattered clothes. Flippy and Flaky stared wide-eyed at their position on the floor – Moonlight was on top of him, her breasts touching his torso and their crotches barely touching each other with her legs spread on either side of him. Splendid's hearing picked up the sound of her heart racing along with his; it increased even more as she got into a sitting position. He could feel the heat from her crotch mingle with his, sending a tingling feeling to his –

"Get a room, you two!" teased Flippy. Moonlight took that as a way to snap back to reality and stood, blushing madly as she turned away. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean –" Splendid apologized, realizing he's still holding her lacy thongs. "Um…h-here," he stammered, handing her the panties. "T-Thanks…" she replied, failing to contain her giggle. "Found some!" Flaky announced as she held up dark blue flannel pajamas with embroidered silver paw prints spread randomly. As the girls headed to the closet to find a duffel bag, Flippy whispered, "Nice move – but don't you think it's a little too early for 'that'?"

"It was an accident…" Splendid mumbled, still feeling the tingle in his crotch. Although he didn't want to admit it, it did feel good for those few seconds…

Later, at Pop and Cub's place – Moonlight was startled as the little bear hugged her leg, laughing and almost drooling on her fur. "Cub, let her in!" said Pop, picking up his son. "Flippy and Flaky decided to turn in early," Splendid explained, "They promised to help with the remodeling tomorrow." He then turned to Moonlight and repeated what Flippy told her earlier – about the 'yell and I'll come over' part. "She'll be fine," assured Pop, ushering Moonlight inside. As Splendid left, he could hear her faint laughter almost mingling with Cub's. _'Probably playing…' _he thought as he flew home.

That night, as he lay in bed…Splendid had an amazing dream – he and Moonlight were running through a field of roses and lilies, laughing and hugging each other before falling into the flower bed, sending petals floating into the air. He then allowed her to snuggle next to him, her warm body sending a strong tingle to his own. He looked into her eyes, seeing an innocent pup as she snuggled closer.

As he leaned close for a kiss, one of his hands slipped into her shorts and touched her flower, enjoying her moan as her nectar seeped onto his fingers; fingered her until she was soaking herself. He could feel her resistance slipping away; pulled off her shorts and spread her legs to reveal her dripping womanhood. "Touch me…" she begged.

"I'll make you mine…" he breathed, carefully pushing his erection into her tight orifice; calming her with a kiss as he began to thrust, taking the pain away and replacing it with pleasure. "Ah…" she moaned, begging him to move faster. Splendid groaned as he complied, feeling the pressure building between them. "I…I'm cumming…" she whimpered, moaning out loud as her fluids gushed and soaked him. "Ugh!" he growled, sighing in relief as he emptied his seed into her. As he pulled out, the look on Moonlight's flushed face sent a warm and fuzzy feeling through him. "Splendid…" she breathed. "Yeah?" he asked. She then repeated his name…but then the look on her face changed from dazed to fright – and a scream woke him up.

"WHAT THE?" he yelled, realizing Moonlight's scream didn't come from her dream – it was coming from below. He also felt something wet on his blanket; looked down and noticed he 'came' while dreaming. "Stupid wet dream…" he cursed. Deciding to forget it, he cleaned himself up and flew out the window just as another scream echoed in the air.


	9. Chapter 08: Two Hearts, One Love

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media; the song used is a copyright of Ashley Tisdale_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 08 – Two Hearts; One Love**

* * *

><p><em>"Mom, no!" screamed 10-year-old Moonlight as flames surrounded her, trapping her in a fiery wall. "Run, Moonlight! RUN!" yelled Starlight. The young pup could only see her mother's silhouette on the other side of the flames before noticing an unknown shadow yank her away, followed by a pain-chilling scream. "MOM!" she screamed once more. The flames were closing in on her; smoke filled her lungs, coughing as she blacked out…<em>

* * *

><p>"Mom…" whimpered Moonlight, screaming for seconds as her nightmare tortured her. "Moonlight, wake up!" demanded Pop, shaking the furiously panting wolf. Startled, she sat up and accidentally hit Pop in the chin, forcing him to stumble backwards; Cub could be heard bawling his lungs out due to the noise. Muttering to himself, he ignored the pain and comforted the sobbing wolf. "There, there…" he soothed, "Just a bad dream."<p>

The sound of a door being bashed down caught Pop's attention; he turned to find Splendid at the door, worry evident in his eyes. "False alarm," breathed Pop, "Poor pup only had a bad dream." He then left to tend to a still-crying Cub while Splendid sat next to and held her close. "Ssh…it's okay," he whispered, hugging her and ignoring her tears seeping into his fur. Pop returned with a curious Cub in his arms. "I think she's okay now," said Splendid.

"Seems to me she's got issues – whimpering and screaming for her mother in her sleep," said Pop, "I suggest she should see Sniffles – a little talk about her problems won't hurt." Splendid silently agreed, chuckling lightly as she hugged him close. "I don't need any help," she mumbled, "I just want…" She trailed off as she wiped away her tears.

"Trust me, that's exactly what you need – some serious help," insisted Pop, "And I'll make sure you get that in the morning." Cub somehow fell asleep and was slightly drooling on his daddy's robe. "Now get some sleep. Splendid, you're welcome to stay – just in case she had another nightmare."

Splendid thanked him and snuggled close to Moonlight under the covers; sneezing quietly as her hair tickled his nose. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Moonlight whispered his name. "Yeah?" he asked. "C-Can…Can I hug you close to me?" she meekly asked. The blue squirrel shrugged, saying he doesn't mind. As the wolf buried her head into his chest, Moonlight fell asleep almost immediately at the steady thumping of his heart. "Sleep tight…" he whispered, holding her close with one protective arm. What he didn't notice – he was falling asleep anyway – were Moonlight's lips…curling into a smile.

The next morning – as Pop suggested last night, he had Splendid take her to Sniffles straight after breakfast. As the two waited their turn, Splendid spied Toothy in the corner as he whimpered about getting glass in his eye; Nutty, sitting next to him, was moaning about a toothache. "Moonlight," Nurse Giggles called out, "Sniffles will see you now." The nervous wolf turned to Splendid, silently asking him to accompany her. He smiled and held her hand. "Something tells me you don't really like hospitals," he joked as they entered Sniffles' office.

"Hello there," greeted the anteater, "Moonlight, make yourself comfortable." He showed her to a _méridienne chaise longue_. "Okay…since this is your first visit, we'll start with your personal life – you can pretend nobody's here," Sniffles suggested as he prepared to scribble down notes. Moonlight lay down on the long couch and relaxed herself; Splendid leaned against a wall, ready to spring if she lost her sanity.

"I never knew my father," she began, "And everytime I asked, Mom would always – _always_ – skip to some other topic. Sometimes she even refused to say a word about it, no matter now many times I pestered her. Eventually, I gave up." She went on to explain her lack of friends where she grew up; how everyone saw her as a white-haired 'freak' with an overprotective single mother; her childhood fascination with stars and how seeing them raised her spirits whenever she felt upset. But as she slowly reached the part about her 10th birthday, she paused involuntarily and seemed to be in a trance. "Go on…" Sniffles prodded. The wolf shook her head and continued.

"The day began just like any other day," she continued, "And as usual, no guests were invited – even if I had friends, Mom would _never_ let them come over." She then explained the fire – how she screamed and cried out for her mother as she got trapped within a fiery wall; blacking out as smoke filled her lungs, forcing her to faint. "When I came to, I was outside the burning house – and I have no clue how or when I got out," she whimpered, wiping away her tears. "Since then I was terrified of fire – and it only worsens each time I got innocent blood on my hands…"

"So you have no clue about the events that happened in between – you just black out after seeing flames?" asked Sniffles as he scribbled, earning a quiet nod. "I see…" he breathed, noticing tears pooling in her ocean-blue eyes; nodded at Splendid to ease her. "From what you've described, it seems you have the same case as Flippy: PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," the anteater explained, "As for the reason behind the killing, I'll have to make further studies."

Splendid couldn't help feeling uneasy at the thought; reminded himself not to squeeze Moonlight's hand too hard. "Do you…hear voices in your head?" the anteater asked. "Yeah, just recently…" she replied, "It sounded like a dark version of me. I once saw her image in my bedroom mirror." She then turned to Sniffles. "About the last part, was that what one may call a 'hallucination'?" she asked.

"Typically, yes…" he replied, "Anyway, did this 'voice' tell you anything in particular each time it comes up?" Moonlight said it did suggest one thing – it wanted to tell her who was responsible for the fire on her 10th birthday. "I believe we can find that out ourselves," said Sniffles as he stroked his snout thoughtfully. He then wrote down a pill prescription, advising her to take it at least once a day; avoid taking an overdose as results are not pretty. Giving her another slip of paper containing his address, he said she should meet up at his lab tomorrow; Splendid could come along too.

"Come on, it's not like I'm some immature pup and needed a bodyguard!" Moonlight complained. "Oh no, it's not that…" said Sniffles, eyeing between her and Splendid. "What? N-No way, we're not…w-well…" stammered the flying squirrel. Sniffles couldn't help but chuckle; dismissed them. "Lumpy, you're taking the next shift and your paperwork's still messed up!" Sniffles scolded the blue moose as Moonlight left the office with Splendid. Not wanting to see a gloomy look plastered on her face, Splendid offered to take her to the park for some ice cream; Moonlight smiled and accepted.

"PTSD, huh?" said Flippy, "That's…awful – she's just like me." Splendid sighed and watched Moonlight enjoy her ice cream while talking to Flaky, giggling as they watched some birds nesting in a nearby tree. "But hey, at least she's better off than I am – don't you think?" the bear added. "I guess…" agreed a dazed flying squirrel. Flippy noticed his behavior, cocking his eyebrows as Splendid sighed dreamily. "I don't know about you, Flippy – but seeing her makes me feel so…I can't explain it," the squirrel admitted, laughing to himself as Moonlight got ice cream stuck on her furry muzzle.

_"Oh bother..." _whined Flipqy, _"You're right, he REALLY likes her. Does he even know how dangerous she is?"_ Flippy pretended to ignore his alter ego and suggested Splendid to take her out on another date. "She 'had you for dinner' on the first one – maybe it'll be the reverse this time," the war veteran chuckled; Splendid frowned at his lame joke. Just then, Lifty and Shifty's voices are heard from above – all four looked up and saw a banner flowing behind a plane which says _'Splendid likes Moonlight~!'_ in fancy print, along with a drawn picture of them kissing at the end of the sentence.

Nobody knew who blushed first, but both knew they've unwillingly become the talk of the town thanks to the twin raccoons' little scheme. "Those little…" Splendid muttered, "Once they get down here, I'll –" but he got cut off as Moonlight fainted, dropping her empty ice cream cup; immediately rushed over to her. "Looks like somebody had an emotional heart attack," Flaky jeered when the wolf came to. "You could say that…" Moonlight rasped as Splendid helped her up.

"I may have an idea for your date tonight," said Flippy, ignoring the 'stop-saying-we're-together' look on Splendid's face, "Unless someone's got a better plan." The 'hero' stayed silent, allowing Flippy to continue. "There's a lagoon about northwest of here," said the war veteran, "It used to be a tourist attraction, but over the years it turned into a private meeting place for couples...or couple-to-be." Flaky giggled, remembering her first day with Flippy in the same location.

"Your point being~?" asked Moonlight. "Girl, it's useless hiding it – he likes you; you like him; the _entire town_ knows that," replied Flaky. The wolf glanced uneasily at the squirrel, both sharing the 'they-gotta-be-kidding' look in their eyes. "I'm up for it," Splendid finally admitted, "But only because you wanted us to." Flippy and Flaky high-five each other in victory. _'I'll get back at those raccoons some other time…'_ he silently thought.

Later that night… "Flippy, I don't know…" Splendid admitted as they waited by the bank for the girls, "Are you sure your little 'plan' will work? I mean, what if I mess up?" Flippy laughed and slapped the squirrel's back. "Just relax, will you? Everything's gonna go smooth as silk," he assured. Taking out a radio, he asked if his associates are ready.

"The band's ready and good to go," replied Cuddles, "Just give us the signal." The rabbit turned to his girlfriend – Giggles – as she, Petunia and Lammy practiced their vocals for the umpteenth time. Cuddles was helping Handy attach drumsticks to his stubs while Russell tuned their guitars.

Splendid gulped, making excuses about feeling sick and should just head home – Flippy stated he's just nervous. "Need some advice from the 'love expert'?" asked Disco Bear as he walked over to the sweating squirrel, "All I have to say is: stay calm and take your time – don't rush it."

"Yeah, _real_ helpful…" Splendid sarcastically remarked. Out of the corner of the boys' eyes, Flaky could be seen walking over while holding Moonlight's hand, half-dragging the hesitant wolf along. _'Whoa…'_ was all the flying squirrel could think – Moonlight changed out of her usual V-neck shirt and mini-shorts into a sparkling blue halter top and matching mini-skirt, looking like a princess covered with hundreds of stars. A hint of silver glitter dotted her moon-white hair, adding to its natural silky sheen. Her tail swished gracefully despite her obvious nervousness, the only added accessory being a blue bow that's tied close to the tip.

_"I gotta admit…she does look pretty when not evil," _Flipqy admitted. Disco Bear whistled as he eyed the shy wolf top to bottom, stopping as Splendid glared at him. He then held her hand and led her to a rowboat, allowing her to seat herself before joining opposite her. Disco Bear chuckled and took up the oar; Flippy helped push the boat into the water, sending it floating down the lagoon while Disco Bear rowed along the way. "Alright – go, go, go…" he whispered into his radio.

In the distance, Mime and The Mole pulled back the imitation-moss curtains as the band began to play…

Song selected: _**Kiss The Girl by Ashley Tisdale**_

[Italics: Giggles / In parenthesis: Petunia and Lammy]

_(Ah…) Kiss the girl~! (Ah…) (Kiss the girl)_

_There, you see her_

_Sitting there across the way_

_She don't got a lot to say,_

_But there's something about her…_

_And you don't know why,_

_But you're dying to try – you wanna_

_Kiss the girl_

"Do they _have_ to pick that song?" Splendid mock-complained. Moonlight giggled while Disco Bear made sure he rowed slowly and steadily.

_Yes, you want her_

_Look at her; you know you do_

_It's possible she wants you too –_

_There's one way to ask her…_

_It don't take a word,_

_Not a single word – go on and_

_Kiss the girl (kiss the girl~!)_

The wolf blushed as she listened to the lyrics, silently admitting they're right – she does like him ('want' didn't sound right at the moment), but she's just too shy to say so. Splendid felt the same.

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my_

_Looks like the boy's too shy –_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl…_

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?_

_It's such a shame, too bad…_

_You're gonna miss the girl…_

_Go on and kiss the girl… (kiss the girl)_

Flippy and Flaky got into another boat paddled by Lumpy, eager to watch the show. They held their breath as Splendid leaned close…but then groaned disappointedly as he moved away. "Come on!" Flippy called, "This is no time to chicken out."

_Now's your moment_

_Floating in a blue lagoon_

_Boy, you better do it soon –_

_No time will be better…_

_She don't say a word,_

_And she won't say a word – until you_

_Kiss the girl (kiss the girl~!)_

As soon as Disco Bear rowed the boat into the man-made cave, Mime and The Mole – who scrambled to the location by land – pulled back another pair of imitation-moss curtains so the band could still be watched. Changing his rowing pattern, he made the boat float in a circle.

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my_

_Looks like the boy's too shy_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl…_

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?_

_It's such a shame, too bad_

_You're gonna miss the girl~!_

"Not again~!" Flaky cried as Splendid pulled back after another close-call kiss. Moonlight giggled at his shyness. Flippy face-palmed, snickering to himself.

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared_

_You better be prepared –_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now_

_Don't try to hide it how…_

_You wanna kiss the girl…_

_Go on and kiss the girl… (kiss the girl)_

"Moonlight? I wanna tell you something…" Splendid began. "What is it?" she asked. "I…" he replied, swallowing a lump in his throat, "I…"

_(Ah…) (Whoa~!) Kiss the girl~! (Ah…) (Kiss the girl)_

_(Ah…) La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (Ah…)_

_Go on and kiss the girl~!_

_(Ah…) La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (Ah…)_

_Go on and –_

_Kiss the girl_

"You~?" Moonlight prodded. Splendid took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes as he held her hands in his. Flaky could be heard squealing with Lumpy trying to stop her from rocking the boat as she jumped in her seat.

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my~!_

_Looks like the boy's too shy_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl_

_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?_

_It's such a shame, too bad_

_You're gonna miss the girl~!_

He leaned close for the third time…Moonlight could feel herself being drawn into it, ignoring the confusing mix of emotions that danced in her stomach. "Too soon to say this since we only met a few days ago…" he confessed, "But I…"

_La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la_

_Go on and kiss the girl~!_

_(Go on and kiss that girl~!)_

_La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la_

_Go on and kiss the girl~!_

"Just say it, damn it!" Flippy ordered, unable to wipe that smile off his face. Ignoring him, Splendid exhaled and said, "I…I love you. I can never stop thinking about you – no matter how hard I've tried." Moonlight gasped. "Oh Splendid…" she breathed, "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard…"

The two smiled affectionately and leaned even closer…until their lips brushed, finally locking together as they closed their eyes and shared their first kiss. Ignoring the hoots and squeals from their impromptu audience, they held each other close in a hug – not wanting to let go of themselves or the moment.

_Go on and kiss the girl…_

_Kiss the girl… (kiss the girl)_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

It was then that Moonlight found herself at peace…and had regained the one thing she thought was forever lost in the fire all those years ago; the one thing only her mother gave back then.

_'Love…'_


	10. Chapter 09: Truth Behind The Flames

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 09 – Truth Behind The Flames**

* * *

><p><em>'Candlelit dinner at an exquisite restaurant combined with a soothing piano instrumental played by Lammy – what more could anyone ask for?<em>_'_ thought Moonlight as she and Splendid shared a plate of spaghetti. "_Gratuit dessert, monsieur et mademoiselle…_" announced Lumpy in a fake French accent.

"I thought he's got a shift at the hospital today," Moonlight whispered. "Probably talked everyone into getting him off early," Splendid replied, laughing along with her. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with a crunchy chocolate crust and thick caramel syrup. "My, my…isn't this romantic?" complimented a familiar voice behind Splendid.

The blue flying squirrel turned and glared at his red doppelganger. "Oh relax…I'm not here to spoil your evening," said Splendont as he calmly faced him, "I came to tell you something." Moonlight growled; Splendid calmed her down by holding her hand in his, gently stroking her delicate fingers. "She's just lucky she wasn't home when the tiger soldiers dropped by…but there's no telling when they'd come over again…" he explained before he got up, exiting the restaurant.

"The nerve of him reminding us about that," said Splendid, turning back to her, "But he's right – don't worry; I'll make sure there's no way they can get through to you." She giggled; he wondered what was so funny. "All you guys are the same: protective over the girls," she said. Splendid smirked before leaning over the table and pecking her on the nose. "It's my job, isn't it?" he said, earning a shy laugh from his now-girlfriend.

Heading home, the couple noticed repairs have already been done…except for a few cracks that were missed. "They're not that noticeable," said Splendid as they walked in. As they sat on the patched-up two-seater, Splendid stealthily wrapped an arm around Moonlight's waist before grabbing and seating her on his lap, facing him. Sensing his intentions, Moonlight teasingly licked his nose…and then moaned as he gently nibbled her neck, replacing Splendont's 'mark' with his own.

"I love it when you do that…" he complimented, adjusting their position so they're comfortable. The wolf growled cutely and returned the favour – he groaned quietly as she left him a hickey. "Now we're even," she teased, nuzzling noses with him. As they began to make-out while he stroked her luscious curves, a knock on the door was heard. "Leave that," he requested…but the knocking became louder and more frequent. Moonlight sighed and got off, followed by a slightly irritated Splendid.

"Did I interrupt something?" asked Flippy as he came face-to-face with the couple; Mime was with him. "Nevermind that," replied Splendid, "What's with the urgency?" Mime replied with a series of hand gestures and facial expressions. "Mime…" growled Splendid, "You know we can't understand –"

"He says he saw some suspicious shadows lurking around town," Moonlight interrupted, "But when he tried to follow them, they just disappeared." The boys looked at her, surprised. "I studied sign language," she explained. The reindeer smiled and clapped his hands. "Finally! Someone who understands me," Moonlight translated, "Uh, Mime…slow down, please." Mime silently apologized and started over. "I was thinking it might've been the soldiers who were looking for you. I'd suggest laying low for a while, but –"

A sudden scream cut their conversation short. "Flaky!" Flippy yelled as he ran back to his home. "Flaky, what's wrong?" he demanded, then looked down at what she was pointing at. "Fuck…" Splendid breathed; Moonlight gasped and buried her face into her boyfriend's chest, silently wishing she hadn't looked in the first place. Flippy managed to keep his alter ego from emerging…but he had a feeling he wouldn't do that if Moonlight's around anyway.

It was Disco Bear – he was skewered to the oar he was using earlier that night; it went through his mouth and emerged out his ass, intestines coiled on the wood. His torso has been torn open, showing his bloody ribcage as well as the pierced organs that were in the oar's path. Mime pantomimed puking before wiping off imaginary vomit; turned the corpse over while trying not to look grossed out. There was a message scratched onto the dead bear's back (his shirt was torn in two): _"You_ _can't hide forever, Moonlight – unless you want more of your friends to die by our hands, surrender yourself IMMEDIATELY!"_

Just as they finished reading the bloody words, the rustling of bushes were heard around them – and more than 20 tiger soldiers stepped out, surrounding them. "General, we found her!" yelled one of them into a radio. _"Capture the subject – I want her ALIVE, not dead, you idiots! If she's got friends, restrain them and await further orders,"_ replied a sinister voice. Flippy recognized it all too well – it's the _Tiger_ _General_.

_"Hey Flippy…" _Flipqy called from within, _"I_ _believe now's the time to come out and play…"_ The war veteran couldn't deny it, but at the same time he thinks he could handle them without his alter ego's help. "You heard him. Come along now," demanded one of the soldiers. "What do you want from me?" asked the frightened wolf. "Move now, ask later!" ordered another as he kicked Flaky in the shins. The porcupine whimpered as a gun barrel was aimed to her head. Mime tried to sneak away, but his path was blocked by soldiers aiming for his head. "Leave them alone!" Moonlight cried. Flaky screamed as a shot was fired, bullet burying into the ground just inches from her hand.

The sudden sound was enough for Flipqy to take over – without warning, he grabbed one of the soldiers' guns and blasted his brains; did the same to others before his clip ran out. Splendid pushed Moonlight down and performed a swift roundhouse to the soldiers behind him; incinerated into ashes those who tried to escape, their remains being blown away by the breeze. A whimpering Flaky grabbed Moonlight's hand and the girls crawled away from the scene. Within seconds, all that's left of the soldiers were mangled bodies and thick blood puddles.

_"What's happening? Report!"_ the Tiger General demanded after hearing the commotion. Flipqy picked it up, growling, "I don't know how the fuck you survived after what I did to you…but I can't wait to see you again." And with that, he crushed the radio; threw it down and stomped it until it was nothing but pieces of broken plastic and wire.

"You okay, honey?" the blue squirrel asked the trembling wolf. Flippy regained control of his body and inspected Flaky, relieved she's also unhurt. Cuddles and Giggles – who happened to be passing by – rushed over and yelped at the bloody mess all over Flippy's front yard; offered to take Disco Bear to the hospital. Taking the war veteran's jeep, Flippy and Splendid piled up the dead soldiers and drove past the town border; buried a hole large and deep enough for the corpses before dousing them in gasoline, burning them before digging it up; Flaky stayed behind, trying to calm a traumatized Moonlight.

"Well, that's the last of them," said Splendid as he dusted his hands. "Not really," said Flippy, "Thanks to Flipqy, the Tiger General is probably pissed off by now." Driving back, the squirrel's head was filled with disturbing thoughts about losing his girlfriend to the ruthless army. _'Why does he want her alive? What's the connection between her and the Tiger Army?'_ he wondered, feeling a visit to Sniffles' lab the following day might answer them.

* * *

><p><em>"Run, Moonlight! RUN!" yelled Starlight. "MOM!" Moonlight screamed back, feeling her flames' searing heat on her fur. She then screamed as the fiery wall closed in on her.<em>

* * *

><p>"NO!" the wolf screamed as she bolted up in bed, sweating and panting as she glanced around. Seeing the morning sunlight shining though her window, she forced herself to take a deep breath and remind herself it was only a bad dream…a recurring one. Turning to her left, she noticed Splendid fast asleep at her dresser – he insisted he should stay up and keep watch over her last night. The peaceful look on his face was enough to bring a smile back to her lips. Stretching, she gets out of bed and pecked him gently on the forehead before walking away…until she felt a firm hand grasp her wrist.<p>

"Where do you think you're going?" he mumbled, gazing sleepily at her. "Getting breakfast prepared," she replied, giggling, "You can sleep a little longer – I'll wake you up when it's ready." Splendid thought otherwise and followed her, yawning as he stretched. The smell of frying eggs and bacon acted like a wake-up call; his stomach growled at the scent. Moonlight giggled as strong arms wrapped around her waist; sighing happily as he kissed her neck.

Meanwhile, Flippy tried to wake up a still-sleeping Flaky…and failing miserably. "Breakfast is getting cold~!" he reminded, poking the porcupine and getting a slightly frustrated groan from her. "Don't make me do this…" he warned, grabbing his girlfriend by the waist and hoisting her up, managing to avoid her quills as he flipped her onto her back. "Okay, you asked for it!" he yelled. Flaky – who was already awake since the first call – began laughing uncontrollably as her boyfriend tickled her.

Back at Moonlight's, Splendid's hearing picked up the sound of laughter and a chorus of "I'm up, babe! I'm up!" from the neighbour, chuckling as he assumed that was Flippy's usual wake-up call for his girlfriend. "So…what's on the schedule today?" asked Moonlight as she served breakfast. "Sniffles wanted us to come over," he replied, "Hopefully he won't bore us with his other inventions." She shrugged as she made sure her electric stove was turned off. "Did you have that nasty dream again?" he asked out of the blue. Moonlight froze and frowned, back turned to him. Sensing her uneasiness, he got up and hugged her close. "Sorry…" he apologized, "I won't ask that again." A light peck on his nose was enough to show she had forgiven him; Splendid smiled and tickled her.

Sniffles was outside trying out a new invention when he noticed Splendid flying towards him with Moonlight snuggled comfortably in his arms. "I take it you two have gotten pretty close in a short while," noted the anteater. As he led them into his home, he secretly pressed a button on his watch – behind them, the Ant Family screamed agonizingly as they got burned to a crisp. _'Sweet revenge…'_ thought Sniffles, snickering to himself.

Moonlight stood uneasily at the contraption in the middle of the living room – basically, it looked like an armchair with electrodes positioned where the head should be; colourful wires were connected from the machine to a laptop to the back of a television. "Are you sure this will work?" she asked as she sat down. "I've already tested it out – trust me," he replied, aiming the electrodes to her head, "Now I want you to relax and imagine it's your 10th birthday…"

Splendid stood nearby and grasped her trembling hand as Sniffles typed a few commands into the laptop. The machine whirred to life, giving off sounds so high pitched that Splendid's ears began to ring, irritating him as he tried to ignore it. Sniffles noticed and handed him some earplugs. Moonlight closed her eyes and concentrated. Within seconds, a blurry image appeared on the television, sharpening as the anteater tweaked the controls.

* * *

><p><em>Giggling, 10-year-old Moonlight played with her teddy bear as she waited for her mother to bring her the cake. She turned around…and her eyes-widened at the sight of orange-yellow flames at the kitchen door. "Mom!" she screamed; the commotion of her running and being blown back by the explosion slightly distorted the image.<em>

_The flames spread quick, trapping the pup within a fiery wall. "Run, Moonlight! RUN!" Starlight screamed in the background. Looking up, she could see her mother's silhouette behind the flames. Another silhouette appeared, yanking her mother away from the picture – followed by a pain-chilling scream. "MOM!" Moonlight screamed once more, coughing as smoke filled her lungs; fainted as she ran out of air._

* * *

><p>Moonlight growled and squeezed her boyfriend's hand harder. "Wait, it's not done yet," said Sniffles before Splendid could pull her away.<p>

* * *

><p><em>The burning background returned, slightly blurred as young Moonlight blinked. A low growl escaped her throat as she stood up. She then ran, jumping over the fiery wall and landing in a crumpled heap before the front door. She then heard her name being called; she turned to find a shadow barely noticeable on the other side of the flames. Growling once more, she turned to face whoever it was heading towards her.<em>

_"You're a contrasting version of your mother…" it said, jumping over the flames and standing before her – it was a green bear, similar to Flippy but with blue eyes. "I'm sorry, kid…but it's got to be this way – we have to fake your death for your own good," he apologized, grabbing the whimpering pup as she struggled to get away. "I'll take good care of your mother; you take care of yourself, and keep a low profile…" he whispered, kicking down the door and hiding her among the hedges. "Why?" she asked the bear. "You won't understand – it's better not to know," he replied. He then placed slight pressure on her temporal arteries, forcing her to sleep._

* * *

><p>Sniffles had the video recorded and handed the disk to Splendid. When they played it back at Flippy and Flaky's place, the war veteran gasped in shock. "That's my father!" he declared, "What was he doing over there, and on your birthday too?" Moonlight shrugged, saying she's confused about the whole thing herself. "When's your birthday, anyway?" Splendid asked.<p>

"Tomorrow," replied Moonlight. Flippy did a double-take. "Mine's tomorrow too!" he said; the two looked at each other in wonder. "Okay…this is weird," said Flaky, "First his dad seems to know Moonlight, and you both share the same birthday – things couldn't be any stranger." Moonlight took out her mother's picture – repaired with a piece of sticky tape as she accidentally tore it a few days ago.

Flippy squinted…and noticed something peculiar: Starlight was glancing to the left, her mouth curved into an affectionate smile; there was a hint of green fur at the left edge of the photograph. Closer inspection revealed Starlight was pregnant, her bulge barely noticeable. Flippy stood up without a word and took down a small frame hanging next to some artifacts; took out his father's picture before taking his seat.

_"I_ _hope you're not thinking what I'm thinking…"_ Flipqy's voice echoed within his head as the two attempted to piece the picture – literally – together. _"Fuck_ _no!__"_ yelled Flipqy. In the now-complete photograph, Flippy's father was sitting next to Moonlight's mother; both were smiling and glancing at each other affectionately. There was also something on the floor – what both thought was just a shadowy square since they had their halves of the photograph…was actually a printout of an ultrasound scan, showing twin fetuses. Flippy and Moonlight turned to each other in shock as realization hit them.

"We're _siblings_?" they asked out loud; Moonlight fainted into a surprised Splendid's arms while Flippy seemed petrified. "There's only one way to prove it," said Flaky as she attempted to 'revive' him from his state.

"Sniffles," said Splendid.

* * *

><p><em>[For those who read this far, it's just a little twist that popped into my head…so I thought it could add to the plot]<em>


	11. Chapter 10: Similarities

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

_[In case anyone's wondering – no, they have no idea that Moonlight's alter ego has a name (not yet, that is…); it's okay if some of you guys want to refer to her as "Evil Moonlight"]_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 10 – Similarities**

* * *

><p>"You're siblings alright – <em>fraternal<em> _twins_," announced Sniffles as he showed the results of the test. As if to prove it, he even ran image identification between Flippy, Moonlight and their parents' photograph – it was a 100% match. The war veteran still found it hard to believe; Flipqy was taking it hard. _"I'm related to her?" _he screamed frantically, _"No FUCKING way! How is she my sister?"_

"Will you shut up?" Flippy yelled back as he glared at his reflection in a nearby window, "I know you're freaked out, but –!" He stopped himself and turned to Moonlight, who was glaring at the floor. "Listen," he ordered through gritted teeth, "I'm gonna talk to our 'sister' here. Meanwhile, _you_ stay quiet while I get this sorted out." Flipqy childishly stuck out his tongue behind his back. "Hey…" he greeted as he sat next to her, "You okay?"

"Do I _look_ okay?" she replied bitterly. Flippy glanced at Splendid and Flaky, who both shrugged. "I don't understand…" Moonlight added, "Why would Dad fake my death? Why didn't Mom say anything about you?" She then brought her knees up, hugging them as she curled up on the couch. "Nothing makes sense…" she muttered. Flippy patted her back; he too is confused about the whole situation.

"Guys, I could use some help with something," requested Sniffles as he glanced at Splendid and Flaky; the two agreed to help out while at the same time leaving the 'siblings' to talk in private. "Flippy…" Moonlight finally spoke after seconds of awkward silence, "What was Dad like?" The bear chuckled as he recalled memories about him.

"A bit of a stubborn bastard…" he replied, "But he's a good father. He was a fighter pilot." Moonlight uncurled herself and asked him to tell more. Flippy explained that they lived in the military barracks for as long as he could remember; taught him combat and survival skills when he came of age. "But I…kinda screwed up everything he taught me on my first day at boot camp," he admitted, earning a giggle from Moonlight. She then asked if he still kept in touch with him. Flippy frowned as he recalled that horrible incident…

* * *

><p><em>"This is Fighter 66 calling Base! Come in, Base! Do you read me?"<em>

_17-year-old Flippy hurriedly picked up the radio out of a dead comrade's hand, sweating nervously and yelping as a grenade detonated nearby. "I read you, Dad!" he yelled over the gunfire. "Flippy, what are you doing out there? Return to Base and report –!" his father ordered, but static cut him off. "Dad? DAD!" he yelled, only to hear explosions and his father's painful cry as an answer. Looking up, he watched his father's jet burst into flames as its fuel tank was hit; crashed into the ocean and exploded in a massive ball of fire. "No!" he screamed._

_"Sorry, Flippy…" whispered a sympathetic Sneaky. Mouse Ka-Boom handed him his father's half-scorched dog tag. Clenching it in his fist, he looked at the coffin as he witnessed the funeral. 'That Tiger General won't get away with this…' he swore to himself._

* * *

><p>"Oh…" breathed Moonlight, "Sorry to hear that." Flippy forced a smile on his face; said if their father had survived, she'd love him despite his stubborn attitude. "What about Mom?" he asked, "I bet she's interesting." He noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes, disappearing in the next second.<p>

"Honestly…" she began, "I can summarize her in one word: _overprotective_." Flippy asked why it's so. "I have no idea," she explained, "That aside, she's alright – although it would've been better if she wasn't onto me _all the time_." Flippy chuckled and insisted his life in the barracks was worse than what she had (and the fact she didn't have to worry about impromptu ambushes on a regular basis)…and the two began firing counterarguments as though they've never been separated their whole life.

Splendid and Flaky heard the whole thing, snickering to themselves as they helped Sniffles with one of his inventions. "Alright, that's it!" they heard them yell, followed by a series of thudding and crashing. Suddenly alarmed, Splendid and Flaky ran back indoors and witnessed a peculiar scene: Flippy and Moonlight, wrestling on the floor, snarling and laughing as they landed playful punches and kicks to each other.

"Whoa! Hey! Hold it!" Splendid cried out as he pulled Flippy off while Flaky dragged Moonlight away. "What's with the ruckus?" he demanded. "He/She started it! Did not! Did to! _Shut up, I said that first!_" was the combined reply, followed by laughter. If thoughts could be heard, both Splendid and Flaky now wished they haven't found out about their family ties.

Outside, Sniffles was busy hooking up some wires when he stepped on a metal pole; slipped and made whole cuts of himself via the dangling wires. Finally settling the dispute, Splendid led the group out…then slapped a hand over Flippy's eyes before quietly leading everyone away from the bloody scene. "What the hell was that for?" was all Flippy could say as soon as they were out of sight, ignoring the slightly painful tingle left behind as he scrunched his eyes.

Meanwhile in Flipqy's mind – the psychotic killer glared daggers at Moonlight's alter ego, who was smirking evilly. "Boo," she whispered, enjoying the way Flipqy flinched. "Don't…do that," he requested, stopping himself from shaking. "Aww…Flipqy's scared of his own sister~?" she teased, earning a 'tch' from the bear as he turned away and angrily folded his arms. She giggled and leaned against a tree, catching and ripping a butterfly to shreds as it flew past her. _'I don't think I could live with this…'_ he thought miserably.

Back in reality – news about the 'family relationship' spread like wildfire. And they know who started it. "Lifty, if I weren't in a good mood right now – _you and your brother are so dead_!" Flippy threatened. The raccoons snickered, saying it's just an empty bluff. "Why don't you go play with your sister? She's _way_ more fun than threatening us," teased Shifty. Flippy growled and clenched his fists. "Let them say what they want…" said Moonlight; Flippy huffed and turned away. "Oh~! That's right, walk it off – like the pussies you both are!" chimed the raccoons.

Both Flippy and Moonlight froze in their steps. "Did they just call us 'pussies'?" asked Moonlight. "Yep," replied Flippy; the two turned and glared at the raccoons. Lifty and Shifty realized what they've done and scampered off, only to have their path blocked. "Ouch!" they yelped as Moonlight grabbed their tails while Flippy bound their feet together; dangled them on the highest branch of a tree. "We'd love to stay and chat, but we couldn't _hang around_ for long," Flippy jeered, slapping a high-five with Moonlight. Splendid and Flaky admitted it was – kind of – funny, laughing as they turned away.

"This isn't funny, guys. _Get us down!_" they demanded as the group left. "This is your fault…" Shifty blamed. "Mine? You're the one who called them 'pussies'!" argued Lifty. As they argued, Whistle was heading straight towards them; the curious puppy gazed up at them in wonder. "What are you looking at?" growled Shifty. Whistle yipped and danced in circles around them…which gave Lifty and idea. Picking him up, he gave a low whistle – and the now-snarling puppy began to chew away at the rope holding him up. "Oof!" he yelped as he fell to the ground, miraculously still holding a vicious puppy in his grip.

"Hey, what about me?" demanded Shifty, folding his arms as he waited for his brother to release him. Lifty looked up at him with mock concern; kicked Whistle away and left Shifty, snickering. He didn't go quite far when furious snarls and growls were heard behind him. "WHOA!" he screamed as he began running in circles as Whistle chased him.

Shifty – meanwhile – was swinging on his end of the rope, trying to grab the tree trunk. Just as he successfully finished his tedious task, Lifty's screams were heard in the distance. "Heh, I hope he gets chewed to bits for leaving me behind…" Shifty snickered as he sat on the branch and undid the rope tied to his feet. Just as he slid down, his brother ran past him…and yelped as Whistle chomped down on his tail. "Lifty, GET HIM OFF ME!" he screamed as he ran, half-dragging the vicious pup as he chased down his brother.

"Sucks to be them…" commented Flaky as they watched the scenario. "Hm…" Splendid thought out loud, "Flaky, could I have a word with you in private?" As soon as they were out of earshot, the two shared hushed whispers to each other. The two then chuckled; shook hands as if in agreement over something.

"What was that about?" asked Flippy as they walked back. Flaky smiled and said it was nothing too important. Moonlight suspected something and glanced at her boyfriend, who was humming innocently as he 'pretended' to study the leaves in the closest tree. "Are you hiding something from me?" she asked. "Uh…no?" he replied, "Moonlight, why don't you head home and rest? You look exhausted."

"You too, Flippy…" chimed Flaky, "In fact, you two could use some time getting to know more about each other while I do some errands in town." Flippy suspected something was off, but then decided it probably isn't that much of a deal.

Later at Flippy's place – the siblings were on the couch, sharing an old photo album. "Who's the little bear in this picture~?" Moonlight gushed as she looked at a photograph of 5-year-old Flippy playing with a toy gun and dressed in an oversized uniform. Flippy chuckled shyly and went on to the next photograph, this time showing him and their father crawling through mud in an obstacle course. "Dad looks so cool…" she commented as they looked through more photographs with him in it. "Who are these guys?" she asked when looking at a particular picture. While most of the photographs looked so old and ancient, the one she was looking at looked colourful and vibrant.

"Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom," Flippy replied, "They were friends I made back at boot camp." Before she could ask anything more about them, he insisted that he'd rather not talk about it. As he turned the page, he suddenly slammed his hand down on a certain picture. "Uh…I'd rather not talk about that too," he said, turning the page immediately.

"Why not?" asked Moonlight, turning it back…only to have Flippy slam his hand down again. "Trust me, it's embarrassing…" he insisted. But his sister wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and began to pry him off…which resulted in another playful wrestling match on the floor. Just as he pinned her down, Moonlight kicked him off and rolled away before getting into a Karate stance. "Oh…so you wanna spar?" Flippy taunted, "Bring it on!"

"You asked for it!" Moonlight declared, starting off with a Karate chop. Flippy blocked it and all the other moves she executed. "Karate graduate…black belt!" she boasted while landing punches and kicks, "And first in class!" Flippy snorted and caught her foot, flipping her over. "You were saying?" he teased. Moonlight did a front flip and was back on her feet in two seconds; scaled a wall and flipped over him. "How's that?" she yelled as she held him in a choke hold. Flippy grabbed her arm and doubled-over, flipping her over him. He then pounced and pinned her down on her stomach with her hands held securely behind her back. "Judo graduate, also black belt," he panted, "And first in class too."

"Guys," Flaky asked, "What are you doing?" She was holding a shopping bag in one hand and a bunch of party decorations on the other. "Oh! Flaky! Uh…" he stammered, yelping as Moonlight used her strength to push him off while he was distracted. "Just…a little…spar match!" Moonlight replied as she attempted to pin her brother down, only to be thrown off. Flaky giggled and placed her groceries on the kitchen table. "Okay, okay! Truce!" Moonlight called as Flippy managed to pin her down again, laughing as she got tickled.

Finally stopping their 'play fight', Flippy asked who taught her Karate. Moonlight explained that it was their mother who gave her the basics; learned the rest at a dojo. As for Flippy, it was their father who had him enrolled in Judo classes and made him attend them when he's not training at boot camp. "By the way, what's with the party decorations~?" he teased as he picked up a packet of streamers. "Silly little bear~!" the red porcupine gushed as she playfully flicked his nose, "By the way, Moonlight – I wasn't sure if you got a swimsuit, so I bought you one." The wolf rummaged through the grocery bag and pulled out a 2-piece blue-and-silver bikini with randomly-sized paw prints printed all over the smooth fabric.

"Cute~!" the wolf squealed as she hugged it, "Thanks, Flaky!" The red porcupine then pulled out a pair of green camouflage-printed trunks and handed it to Flippy. "Honey…" he asked, "What's with the new swimwear?" All he got was a giggle from his girlfriend. The siblings looked at each other and shrugged.

After having a quick dinner Moonlight decided to head home, thanking Flaky once again for her new swimsuit. "I bet that looks pretty _hot_ on you…" greeted Splendont as he blocked the entrance to her home. The wolf glared and kept her distance. "Why won't you leave me alone…" she growled, earning a smirk from the red squirrel. As he walked closer, she slowly backed away and then edged around him before he could grab her. "Aww…little puppy too shy to hang around a badass?" he teased.

_"I don't know about you, but I think I like this guy more than the blue one…"_ her dark voice echoed, giggling in her mind. Moonlight paid no attention to her and turned her back on Splendont, locking the door as soon as she entered her home. _"Heh…and I thought I was rude. Turning your back on the coolest guy I've seen,"_ she heard.

"Look, that's enough out of you," Moonlight ordered, passing by a mirror and almost flinching as she glimpsed her dark version in the glass. _"You can't shut me out like that,"_ the golden-eyed wolf scolded, _"How will you anyway? I'm you, and there's no denying it."_

"Enough! No more!" screamed the blue-eyed wolf as she clutched her head and scrunched her eyes, screaming as her alter ego laughed evilly. The laughter seems to have stopped as a knock on the door was heard. "Splendont, leave me alone already!" she growled as she opened the door, only to find a confused Splendid. "Oh…hey babe. Sorry if I thought you were…" she trailed off as she looked down in shame.

Splendid hugged her close, saying he had just come back from another rescue mission – and unintentionally killing the victim in the process, as usual – when he heard her scream. "It's nothing…really," she insisted. "It's that 'voice' again, isn't it?" Splendid asked as concerned sapphire eyes looked into her ocean blues. She nodded; he hugged and comforted her like a concerned parent to a child. "Do you want me to sleep over again?" he asked, "Not that I think you're always getting in trouble the moment I keep my eyes off you –"

"Splendid, I'm not a pup…" she half-growled, "I can look after myself." That cliché phrase didn't convince him one bit. "Hey!" she said as he picked her up, "What gives? Put me down!" Keeping a firm grip on her, he took off…only to return to let her lock her front door. He took off once again, allowing her to get a bird's eye view of Happy Tree Town.

It was a few minutes later when Moonlight found herself in Splendid's home. "Make yourself comfortable," he offered, "I'll get some snacks." The dazed wolf looked around before standing at one of the windows, looking out to the ground below while Splendid returned with some milk and cookies, placing them on the coffee table. "We're so high up…" she whispered. He chuckled, leading her away from the window and offering her a cookie – which she noted were slightly burned. "I know…I almost forgot about them while at work today," he admitted. He then looked at the clock and decided she should get some sleep.

"I'm not tired…" she weakly protested, but her droopy eyelids say the opposite; before long, she began to yawn and curl up on the couch. Splendid chuckled and carried her to the bedroom, tucked her under the covers before heading to the couch for some shut-eye. He had just fallen asleep when whimpers were heard coming from his room; sleepily got up and calmed Moonlight down by snuggling and holding her close. _'I wonder if Flaky experiences the same thing with Flippy almost every night…'_ he thought, smiling as his girlfriend snuggled closer in her sleep.

Meanwhile, miles away from Happy Tree Town – an angry Tiger General tore up maps and threw a table across the room, startling some of the soldiers. Growling as he calmed down, he looked over his troops. "There's a change in your objectives," he explained, "Capture two subjects this time: Flippy _and_ Moonlight." As his troops cleared out, he yelled one final order.

"_Bring them alive…_"


	12. Chapter 11: Double Disaster

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 11 – Double Disaster**

* * *

><p><em>"Congratulations, you got a boy and a girl!"<em>

_A tearful Starlight held the tiny wailing bundles close; calmed them as she kissed the soft fur on their foreheads. "Captain…she's got your eyes~!" she squealed as the baby wolf pup revealed her sparkling blue orbs. "We'll call her Moonlight – because she's as beautiful as her mother," said their father. "Now…what about our little boy…" he pondered. Starlight looked into the little bear's innocent green orbs. "I think Flippy will suit him – a cute name for a cute cub~!" she gushed, earning a high-pitched squeal from their son. Baby Moonlight giggled and yawned, revealing tiny little canines._

_2 months passed…Flippy and Moonlight were sleeping in their crib when explosions were heard nearby, startling them and alerting their parents. They knew the Tiger Army has come for their children. Seeing they have no other choice, they decided they should separate themselves and keep low profiles…it was unfair for the kids, but their safety comes first. Captain took Flippy and fled to the barracks; Starlight held Moonlight close as she escaped the country._

* * *

><p>Flippy awoke the next morning, stretching and glancing to Flaky's side of the bed – and found a note. It read: <em>"See you at the beach at 9. I love you! PS: Don't forget your swimming trunks."<em> The green bear swung out of bed and trudged to the bathroom mirror, splashing his face with cold water as he shook away the sleepiness. _"Hey, birthday boy…"_ Flipqy greeted as he glanced at the mirror, _"Where are you headed?"_

"Where else? Come on, you saw the note," he replied, popping a pill into his mouth. _"Do we HAVE to go~?" _his alter ego complained, _"Okay, we have to – but can I at least torture someone just for a few minutes?"_ Flippy's steady glare meant one answer. _"You're no fun…"_ Flipqy growled. Leaving the mirror, he went back to his room to change into the swimming trunks he was given yesterday before heading to the kitchen to grab some toast.

Meanwhile at Splendid's abode – the squirrel groaned sleepily and slammed his blaring alarm clock, smashing it to pieces before shoving the debris off the bedside table. "Someone's cranky…" mumbled a half-sleepy wolf. She turned and looked at him snoring lightly. _'Probably had an emergency rescue mission…'_ she thought as she slid out of bed, feet padding lightly as she looked around for the bathroom. _"Peek-a-boo,"_ greeted her alter ego as she passed by a hall mirror. Moonlight yelped in surprise. _"Calm down, will you? Just thought I should say 'Happy Birthday'…"_ she said, rolling her golden eyes, _"Damn, you get scared easily."_

"Moonlight? Honey~?" Splendid called out, yawing as he appeared at the bedroom door. "Bathroom's to your left," he said as he spotted her in the hallway. Moonlight thanked him and disappeared, growling silently. He heard her and peeked from the frame, finding her clutching the sink and scrunching her eyes as she panted heavily. Unnerved, he walked over and hugged her from behind. "Forget about that day," he whispered, "It's long over and you know the truth…or just part of it."

_"Please tell me you're not listening to that crap!"_ her dark voice echoed, but she paid no attention to it. Easing her grip on the sink – Splendid noted he'll fix those cracks later – she breathed easier and put a smile on her face. "Come on, birthday girl…" he chimed as he tickled her, "Don't wanna keep your brother waiting at the beach~!" She then remembered she left her new swimsuit back home…only to find it hung neatly at his wardrobe – he picked it up after he was done with his 'late night rescues'.

"No peeking~!" she teased as she closed the door. Splendid couldn't resist and opened it a crack, catching a glimpse of her slender body, her silky-soft gray-and-black fur, a pair of pinkish nipples and her crotch before they were hidden by the 2-piece swimsuit, which were then hidden under her usual clothing. _'Damn, she looks great~!'_ he thought, blushing madly. "I said 'no peeking'~!" she reminded as she combed her fingers through her hair. "I saw – I mean, I didn't see anything~!" he replied, turning his back to the door as she walked out; rushed past her so she wouldn't see the look on his face. _'Damn it, man…get a hold of yourself!'_ he scolded as he slipped into a pair of red-and-blue swimming trunks.

Happy Tree Beach was already crowded with guests – Cro-Marmot was 'chilling out' in his ice cream truck while (somehow) serving ice cream to his customers, especially Nutty; The Mole was aimlessly walking around when he tripped on a bucket and splashed into the water, narrowly missing Cub while he was floating around with water wings (much to Pop's relief); Cuddles was chasing Toothy on the shore while Giggles and Petunia relaxed on some lounge chairs, ignoring Disco Bear's flirts, Handy was using his teeth to hold some balloons Mime was inflating; Russell and Sniffles were playing 'Pirates' with Lifty and Shifty as they balanced themselves on rubber rings, floating in lazy circles over the water. Just near the buffet table, Lammy was piling the presents into an attractive pyramid while (seemingly) talking to Mr. Pickles.

"W-W-Whoa~!" Handy cried out as the balloons carried him into the air, sighing in relief as Mime pulled him down. Flaky was just finishing a call with Lumpy – reminding him about the birthday cake – when Flippy arrived, laughing heartily as everyone greeted him 'Happy Birthday'. "Where's Moonlight? Wasn't she coming with you?" asked Toothy. The 'birthday bear' said he hasn't seen her since he left; neither did Flaky, who shrugged. "She had an unscheduled sleepover at Splendid's," Splendont explained as he strolled towards them.

"I don't remember inviting you…" said Flippy as the red squirrel stood before him, "And how did you know she had a 'sleepover'?" Before he could reply, his blue rival had finally arrived with a giggling Moonlight in his arms. "Sorry we're late!" she called out, completely ignoring Splendont as she walked past him, "Certain someone was taking his time dressing up." Splendid turned red at the remark.

Lifty and Shifty won the 'pirate duel' and were clashing their plastic swords together when their rings suddenly flipped, forcing the raccoons into the water; Russell and Sniffles popped out on the surface and laughed gleefully. "Yar? Shark!" the otter shouted as he noticed a fin circling around them; the anteater screamed and the two immediately swam to shore, panting after all the effort. What they heard next wasn't what they expected: laughter. Turning, they found Lifty wearing a fake shark fin on his head with his brother pretending to drown as he laughed along. Shifty then took the plastic fin and placed it on Cub's head; Pop laughed as his son pretended to be a shark himself.

"Yar, that be not funny…" Russell grumbled. "Ah relax, they were only kidding!" said Sniffles as he chuckled. Just then Lumpy drove up. "Happy Birthday~!" he greeted as he balanced a giant cake in his hands, "Could use some help here." Splendid chuckled and carried it, noting it was surprisingly slightly heavy. "What did you put in here? Rocks?" he joked as he set it on the table. Just as the moose was about to light the candles, Flippy stopped him and glanced to Moonlight, who had her eyes shielded by Flaky. "Just keep her eyes covered, then," the moose suggested.

"It's okay, you don't need to," she insisted as she gently pried off Flaky's hand and took her medication. Figuring she won't lose her sanity – at least for a while – Lumpy lit the candles. As everyone sang a round of 'For He/She's A Jolly Good Fellow', the wolf had tears in her eyes. _'It's been so long since I had a normal birthday…'_ she thought. Flippy was trying to forget what happened on one of his birthdays. "Make a wish and blow out the candles~!" Giggles and Petunia chimed together. As the non-identical twins blew out the tiny flames, Pop snapped a picture of them – without the flash as it was still daylight.

Nutty was already hyperactive due to overfeeding on ice cream; quivering impatiently as he glanced at the cake. Moonlight picked up the cake cutter and was about to make the first slice when Flippy held her wrist. She froze…looking uneasily into his eyes. "What?" he asked. "Nothing…" she replied, sighing in relief as it wasn't Flipqy in his place at the moment. What she didn't know was that her brother was using sleight-of-hand and nabbed a bit on icing on a finger while at the same time slicing the cake for the guests.

Sniffles was recording the incident when the green bear suddenly lashed out his paw and smeared icing on his sister's muzzle; laughed as he ran off. "You creep!" she yelled as she began to chase him, "Get back here!" As if to escape, Flippy took off his usual army outfit and dove into the water; Moonlight did the same – ignoring the whistles from some boys – and swam after him. "Hey, wait for us!" Splendid and Flaky called out as they put down their cakes and splashed towards the siblings who were having a water fight.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

While the party went smoothly, Flipqy was grumbling away in the darkest corners of Flippy's mind; felt completely ignored. Moonlight's alter ego felt somewhat the same, except the fact she was creating a bonfire in her own world and dancing around it like a Native American Indian. "Hey, you there?" Flipqy called out to 'Evil Moonlight'. "I'm a little busy," she replied as she tossed more twigs into the raging fire. "At least listen," he said, "Since we're – dare I say it – 'related', why the fuck are you trying to scare me half the time?"

"Because that's what I like to do!" she replied, "Besides the killing…" Unconvinced, he concentrated and appeared in her world. It was slightly different to Flippy/Flipqy's – it looked just like Happy Tree Woods, except for the odd scorch marks and claw indentations on some tree trunks; stars dotted the bluish-black sky like a glittering roof. He chuckled as he caught her dancing 'like a weirdo'; laughed as she tripped on her own feet and fell face-first to the floor. "Quit laughing and help me up!" she demanded. Flippy's alter ego shrugged and complied, still chuckling. "You know, you're not that bad…when not in a killing mood," he commented. Evil Moonlight frowned and flicked his forehead, annoying him. "I take that back," he growled. Just then, screams and cries were heard echoing around them. "What the…" they wondered.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Back in reality – anyone who was in the water immediately swam back to shore, narrowly escaping a shark. At first, everyone thought it was Lifty pulling that prank again…then they thought it was Cub because Lifty was feasting on pizza with Shifty…but little bear was in Pop's arms. As Lumpy role-called everyone at the party, one was missing. "Where's The Mole?" Lammy asked. Her answer was almost instant as a Great White suddenly surfaced, chomping on what's left of the blind mole. As the man-eater shook its head around, blood and body parts were scattered onto the shore, scaring the crap out of everybody as it landed on some of them. And it was about to get worse…

"Finally…" Flipqy growled, "Party time!" He grabbed the cake cutter and began to carve Sniffles' snout into fleshy party streamers before cutting it off completely, leaving the snout-less anteater to run in a frenzy as he left the beach. Cro-Marmot drove away; Lifty and Shifty managed to escape unscathed along with Cuddles, Giggles, Handy and Petunia; Splendont, not wanting to participate, took off. A startled Pop also ran away from the crazed bear, accidentally tripping onto his side and sending his pipe flying onto the buffet table; immediately got up and fled with Cub in his arms. "AH!" Nutty screamed as the tablecloth was set on fire; he didn't get away fast enough and was suddenly in flames himself; Toothy suffered the same as he was hiding under the table to escape Flipqy's wrath.

"Yar…" Russell whimpered as he noticed Moonlight's changing behavior; screamed as golden irises were trained on him. She giggled darkly and pounced on the unlucky otter; grabbed his hook and began tearing him up with it – ripped open his torso, scratched his face, gouged out his eye before finally making him claw out his own brain. Mime and Disco Bear panicked at the sight and dove into the water as if to hide. "SHARK!" Flaky screamed out, but it was too late – Mime got beheaded and Disco Bear became the shark's lunch, swallowed after being bitten to bits.

"Having fun~?" Flipqy called to his insane sister. "Fuck yeah…" she replied, glancing at the last victims – Lumpy, Flaky, Splendid. Just then, Flaky fell backwards as she tripped on a bucket, screaming as she rolled down a sand dune – it was enough for Flippy to regain control of himself. Lumpy helped up the frightened porcupine and moved backwards. Flippy glanced silently at Splendid and – as if they could read each other's thoughts – they quietly nodded as they slowly inched towards Evil Moonlight.

"Easy now…" Splendid whispered firmly, "Easy…" She snarled in reply, toying with him as she moved to the side; they were now circling each other. Flippy, who was behind her, secretly followed her movement while inching closer until he barely touched her raised tail. "You've had your fun…now let Moonlight out," the squirrel requested as he reached for her, pulling back as she snapped. "Okay…" he chuckled, "Nice try…"

Flippy held his breath and steadied his nerves…then pounced, tackling his sister to the ground and managing to pin her arms to her back. "Now guys!" Splendid yelled. Lumpy and Flaky sprung out and dumped buckets of water onto the snarling wolf. "Thanks…" she said as she coughed and sputtered; looked up apologetically with guilty sapphire orbs. "Well…at least we got the beach to ourselves," Splendid suggested, "And the party's not over yet." Lumpy laughed and held up a camera as he announced he'll be playing 'photographer' for them – after they've moved to another area of the beach.

Despite losing their sanity and killing a few of the guests, Flippy and Moonlight decided this was one of the best birthdays they've had in a lifetime.


	13. Chapter 12: Intimate

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

_[Warning: Lemon up ahead. Don't like it, don't read it – simple as that.]_

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><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 12 – Intimate**

* * *

><p>Lumpy had an urgent operation appointment and left, leaving the four to watch the sun setting over the horizon. "What a day, huh…" Flippy commented as he held Flaky close. Splendid agreed as Moonlight leaned against him, allowing him to stroke her hair. "Anyone's up for a game of Twister? I forgot I brought it with me," Flippy suggested. "I don't know…" Flaky replied uneasily, "You know how bad I am at that."<p>

"Come on, nobody can be _that_ bad in Twister – and besides, it's still their birthday…" said Splendid. Moonlight blushed, saying that although she heard about the game, she never played Twister before. "It's easy~! Tell you what – we'll let Flippy and Flaky play first," her boyfriend suggested. "What?" Flaky whined, "But I'm really not that good!"

Her decision against the game went unheeded, however. "Okay – left hand, red!" the squirrel called out. Flippy reached down and touched one of the spots just as Flaky did while keeping her quills away. "Right foot, blue!" was the next command. Flaky went over and Flippy went under, trying to avoid early entanglement. After several more commands and more twists and turns, Moonlight couldn't help but giggle. Flaky was on top with her arms and legs spread out; Flippy was the same, except he's facing his girlfriend from the bottom. "Give up," he panted. "No way…" she replied through clenched teeth.

As if to tease her, he quickly moved up and pecked her on the lips. "Whoa~!" Flaky yelped, collapsing on top of him. "That wasn't fair…" she mumbled. Flippy laughed and held her close before rolling over and pinning her beneath him. "There'll be a lot more than that later…" he teased as he got off, only to be pulled back down before making-out with Flaky. "You're as bad as Flipqy…but in a good way," she purred. Flippy mock growled as they nuzzled noses with each other.

"I-I-I don't know…" Moonlight stammered when her brother announced it was her and Splendid's turn. "What? Chicken?" the green bear teased. "Am not!" she muttered as she stood opposite Splendid. "Left foot, green!" Flippy called. "Ow!" the couple yelped as they accidentally knocked heads, earning muffled laughter from the red-and-green pair. "Right hand, yellow!" was the next order. By now, Splendid and Moonlight were getting a bit too competitive – rushing to grab the first spot they find.

It was only a few minutes later when Splendid was bent diagonally over Moonlight in an awkward curve, while said wolf is struggling to stay up while on all fours. "S-Slipping…" the blue squirrel muttered. There was a slight breeze which blew a few strands of Moonlight's hair, tickling Splendid's nose. "Ah…ah…ah…" Splendid struggled not to sneeze, but failed. "AHCHOO!"

"AH!" the wolf yelped as he fell on top of her. "Sorry," he apologized, both laughing as he got off her. They then realized Flippy and Flaky were being unusually quiet; turned to find them making-out as they lay on the beach blanket. "Uh…guys?" Moonlight called out. Flippy broke away from the kiss. "Can we call it a day? We'll see each other tomorrow…probably," he said as he groped Flaky's hips under her 1-piece red-and-pink swimsuit. As soon as they were left alone, Flippy carried Flaky to the back of his Jeep.

"Flippy…" she moaned as he gently kissed her neck and rubbed her womanhood through her swimsuit. Just as he was about to peel it off her, she stopped him. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her curiously. "I'm s-scared…" she whimpered. Flippy leaned down and kissed her lightly. "It's gonna be okay," he assured, rubbing her spot again and enjoying the sighs escaping her mouth. He then tugged at her swimsuit, silently begging her to take it off for him; Flaky obeyed, blushing as his hands found her breasts and slowly massaged them.

The porcupine reached down with one hand, slipping into his camouflage swimming trunks and gently stroking his hardening erection. Flippy stopped touching her for a while and pulled them off, allowing her to grasp it firmly while he resumed what he was doing. Before long he was sucking on one of her nipples while pinching the other; she moaned even louder, one hand digging into the seat as she tries to stand the pleasure.

Pulling back, he spread her legs – noting her tight _untouched_ orifice. "Are you ready?" he asked, his erection throbbing at the sight. Flaky slowly nodded. "A-Ah~! Ow…" she whimpered as her hymen got ripped. Flippy was going as slow as he could, but her hole was just too tight – first time, anyway. "Ssh…" he soothed as he began to thrust, wiping away her tears. Flaky could feel the pain subside and was moaning again, pushing herself upwards as if to make him go deeper.

"Oh yeah…" he groaned as he thrust faster, sweat dripping off him as their climax built up. "F-Flippy…" she gasped, moaning her loudest as her cervix got rammed repeatedly with his rod. "Oh fuck…" he groaned, "I'm gonna cum!" Flaky held onto him as his thrusts became harder and faster; felt she's close to releasing herself. Half-roaring a few seconds later, he finally ejaculated and filled her flower full of his seed, just as her nectar flowed out.

He then laid himself on top, panting after the effort. "Should we go home now?" he finally asked after minutes of peaceful silence. "If you can still drive…" she replied. Flippy raised his head and faced her ruby-red irises. "I love you…" he breathed. "I love you too," she sighed, stroking his green hair.

_"You know what, Flippy? I didn't know you really had it in you – good job,"_ remarked Flipqy as he witnessed the scenario. For the first time, Flippy agreed with his 'dark side'.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Meanwhile – Splendid was watching a movie with Moonlight back at her place, sharing some popcorn and soda. "Damn…out of soda. I'll get some more – be right back!" she said as she left the couch. She was back seconds later with two full glasses of cola when one glass almost tipped, spilling some onto her bikini. He pretended not to notice and continued with the movie. As a romantic movie scene showed up, Splendid slowly and stealthily draped an arm around her, blushing as she leaned against him.

Blue irises locked onto each other; emotions danced within themselves as they kissed. It was normal at first, but then they gradually used tongue as she kneeled before him. Eyes closed, Splendid used his hands to 'sense' her curves, stroking the dips and groping the padded areas; enjoyed her moans as he nuzzled her soft breasts through her bikini. Without a word, he carried her while her legs wrapped around his waist and proceeded to her bedroom, gently laying her in bed before making-out again as he got on top.

"W-Wait. Stop," she insisted before he could undress her. He looked at her curiously. "I…" she explained as she took a deep breath, "I don't know if we should do this. I mean, what if it hurts? What if –"

"It'll hurt only for a second," he assured, "But tell me to stop if it gets unbearable." As soon as he pulled off her top, she gasped and covered her breasts in obvious embarrassment. _'Okay…this'll be kinda tricky,'_ he thought. "Never got naked before a guy, right?" he asked, earning a shy nod. "Just relax…" he whispered, gently parting her arms and staring at her breasts; leaned down and kissed them, enjoying her sigh/whimper.

Sleight of hand allowed him to pull off her bottoms without her knowing – her shyness stopped him from going further as she covered her crotch. "I'll be gentle. Don't worry…" he whispered as he pulled her hands away and spread her legs. He could still remember that dream about making love to her in a field of roses and lilies. "Whoa…you're tighter than I thought," he breathed as he fingered her, soaking his fingers with her nectar.

"Ngh…" she whimpered as he dug deeper and stretched her 'entrance'. As if to calm her, he took one of her hands and led it to his crotch, groaning as she stroked it out of curiosity. By now his erection felt ready to burst – pulled off his trunks as his erection popped out. "Go ahead, touch it…" he said, sighing as her gentle fingers traced his shaft. "Good girl...you're getting the hang of it."

"Really?" she sighed, feeling drawn in to this little 'game'. "In fact…I'll let you take charge," he said, switching their positions so he's lying beneath her. "Now, do what I say: spread your legs a little further," he instructed as he held her hands, "Good. Now move a bit forward – that's it." The tip of his erection brushed her 'petals', unintentionally making her gasp. "Okay…now lower yourself," he said, groaning quietly as the 'head' made it past her hymen.

"Ah!" she screamed as her virginity was torn away, clenching her hands as pain throbbed in her nether regions; sighed in relief as it disappeared. "You're doing good!" he cheered, "And here's the easy part – move up and down like you're riding a horse." Once again, she did as she was told; he groaned louder as he thrust upwards, pushing himself deeper.

His hands fell away from hers and grasped her hips, helping her steady herself. "Come down here, babe…" he sighed. Moonlight leaned down and made-out with him once more while still keeping the pace. "Faster…oh yeah…" he mumbled; groaned as she picked up the pace. She felt her resistance slipping away as one hand groped her breast, lightly pinching the nipple. "S-Splendid…I – _AH!_" she moaned as she finally came, soaking him as her juices flowed out.

Splendid couldn't hold back much longer; he quickly switched their position and began to thrust so fast his girlfriend was screaming and digging her claws into the mattress. "Here it comes!" he announced, groaning as he filled her up. After he was done, he pulled out and collapsed next to her, his pants almost synchronized with hers. "Best…birthday…ever…" she sighed. Splendid pulled her close as he stared up at the ceiling, feeling the intimate connection.

_"Well, he's okay – no argument there…"_ Evil Moonlight commented. The wolf paid no attention as she nuzzled his chest.

"I love you…" she mumbled as she slowly fell asleep next to his warm body. "I love you too, my innocent puppy…" he whispered, kissing her forehead as he fell into a deep slumber himself.

* * *

><p><em>[I know it isn't much, but it was tricky to write…]<em>


	14. Chapter 13: Unleashed

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 13 – Unleashed**

* * *

><p>Miles away, the Tiger Army helicopter fleets flew swiftly across the cloudless sky. The Tiger General was among the passengers, glaring at a photograph of Captain and Starlight with their 1-month-old non-identical twins held in their arms; behind the family was himself, smiling with the rest. "Clever plan…" he muttered, "Protecting the weapon using your children." He then tore the picture to pieces; looked out the window as they headed to their destination.<p>

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Morning, babe…" Flippy whispered as he nuzzled Flaky's nape, "Slept well?" The red porcupine turned to him and showed her half-sleepy eyes, saying she couldn't – not after what they had last night. He chuckled and tickled her waist before making-out with her. _"Sorry to interrupt your little 'lovey-dovey' moment – but I need to talk to you. Now,"_ ordered Flipqy. Flippy sighed angrily and excused himself.

"What is it that's so fucking important?" he growled as he glared at his alter ego through the floor-to-ceiling mirror. Flaky got up, wrapped a robe around herself and stood next to her boyfriend as she looked into the mirror too, only seeing his irritated expression. "First off, watch your language – you know how feeble your girl is about that," replied Flipqy, "And secondly, I just have a nasty vibe something bad is headed our way."

"The only 'bad thing' is letting you out," Flippy countered, "Now if you'll excuse us…" He trailed off as he carried a giggling Flaky in his arms. _"Oh right – just ignore me! Don't blame me if something does happen!"_ his alter ego ranted as he watched him walk out of the room.

Meanwhile at Moonlight's – the blue squirrel woke up and found himself alone; heard Moonlight's voice down the hall. "I _don't_ need you…" he heard her say as he neared the bathroom, "In fact, I can handle everything without you!" She was glaring into the mirror and was – seemingly – talking to herself.

"You can't handle 'everything'…" her alter ego calmly countered, "The day will come when you'll be _begging_ me to help – count on it." The gray-black-and-white wolf only huffed and turned away, stopping in her tracks as Splendid blocked the door. "You didn't see anything…" she said.

"You don't need to tell me," he replied, holding her close. "By the way – you were great last night," he added as he pecked her lips, "Even for a first-timer." She blushed; her words only came out in choked surprise as she recalled last night's events. Her mind then worked on its own accord as she pictured a similar scene – Splendid sneaking into her room every night, starting off with a heated kiss before pinning her in bed, moaning sensually as he made love to her until the sun rose…

Just then her phone rang and derailed her train of thought. Still naked, she ran to the living room and picked up the receiver. "Yeah? Hey, Flippy! No, I don't have any plans. Actually…he's right here with me. He was…uh…sleeping over – yeah. Okay, we'll be right there!" she said before hanging up. "What was that about?" Splendid asked as he secretly admired her luscious body. Seeing the look in his eyes, she grabbed two throw pillows and covered her privates; Splendid rolled his eyes in mock-disappointment. Ignoring it, she explained Flippy wants them to meet up at the caféteria for breakfast. "Well…I don't normally eat out, but I'll make an exception today," he said.

About 15 minutes later, the group was chatting away over breakfast when Flippy found an interesting article in the newspaper. "We're having a new attraction? But we don't have that many tourists…" Flaky noted as they read the title.

_**"ABANDONED MANSION" OPENS ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT**_

_**Happy Tree Town's first "haunted" attraction!**_

"Turning that beat-up old house into an attraction?" Toothy exclaimed as he talked it over with Cuddles and Handy not far away from the group, "What if there are real ghosts in there and they got pissed off with the idea?" Flaky shuddered in her seat at the mention of 'ghosts'. "Relax, there's no such thing as ghosts," Flippy said as he calmed her down. Moonlight was grooming her tail, deep in thought. "I got an idea," she finally suggested, "The one who stays inside the longest without chickening out gets to play a prank on the losers."

Splendid began to choke on some bacon as he listened; Flippy pounded his back and said squirrel began to breathe easier, thanking him. "Don't you have better things to do other than a dare?" Splendid asked. Moonlight silently begged him with her innocent puppy eyes. _'Then again…it'll be unfair if I don't let her have fun,'_ he thought, considering he could use some time-off as well.

"I'm up for it," Flippy agreed, smirking, "As long as I get to play pranks on you if I win." His sister's smug smile and swish of her tail indicated she's ready for whatever he's got. Splendid shrugged and says he'll do it if he's lucky enough not to get any rescue calls. Flaky eventually agreed after some coaxing from all three of them – on the condition Flippy wouldn't play a mean joke on her.

"Well guys, I gotta go – Lumpy needs a hand with the wiring," Handy said as he left his group. Grumbling as he tried to reach for the door handle, he pulled off his usual frustrated look; smiled as Petunia opened it for him before he lightly pecked her on the lips. Giggles giggled as a blushing skunk returned to her workplace. "Question: How is Handy going to 'lend a hand' with the wiring?" asked Splendid. Silence followed, only to be broken by a fit of hushed snickering. "I heard that!" Handy called from outside. "He's just kidding, honey~!" Petunia replied, silently glaring at the squirrel as he pretended to be busy eating his breakfast.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Halloween Night had finally arrived. "Come on, Flaky. We'll be late for the Opening Ceremony!" Flippy reminded as he adjusted his 'Rambo' costume. "You look pretty stupid," Flipqy commented as he stared out from the hall mirror. "Shut up! I didn't ask you," the war veteran snapped. Flaky finally exited the bedroom wearing a 'Little Red Riding Hood' costume, mumbling about not being able to get rid of her dandruff as she hid her quills under a shimmering red hood. "You look great to me~!" he gushed as he kissed her nose, "Now let's go pick up Moonlight."

Said wolf was trying to zip up the back of her silky black witch costume when her doorbell rang; held the back of her dress closed with one hand as she answered the door. "Not done yet?" jeered Flippy as he helped her with the zipper, "We're gonna be late if you dawdle any longer." Splendid had just arrived, cursing to himself as he brushed off some dust from his leather jacket and jeans. "What are you supposed to be?" Flaky asked. "Ghost Rider," he replied, earning a quiet snicker from the war veteran. Ignoring him, he asked his girlfriend for fake chains and a skull mask. "Check the trunk in my room," Moonlight replied as she brushed her hair; applied black mascara and lipstick before putting on a lacy black pointed hat.

"Hm…lots of good stuff in here!" Splendid exclaimed as he rummaged for the items he wanted, "Where'd you get all this?" She replied she used to play dress-up all the time when she was staying at an orphanage. He then tossed out a basket for Flaky and a camouflage headband for Flippy. "Come here," said Moonlight, dabbing her fingers in black and green face paint before applying quick camouflage makeup on her brother's face. _"That's better!"_ Flipqy snickered. _"Don't forget 'Little Red'~!" _chimed her own alter ego's voice as she applied pink lipstick and some matching blush for Flaky. Grabbing her broom, the wolf declared it's finally time to go. "Hey, wait up!" Splendid called as he adjusted his chains while following them.

They were just in time as Lumpy (dressed as a vampire) announced the grand opening of their town's newest attraction and cut the ribbon, earning excited cheers and claps from the crowd. "Huh…I wasn't expecting you to show up," said Splendont as he walked over to Splendid, sneaking a glance at Moonlight, "Don't you have victims to save…or kill, what you unintentionally do?" He was dressed as 'Spawn', mask in his hand.

Splendid pulled up his skull mask and frowned disapprovingly, saying he had a lucky break tonight. "Can we just go?" Moonlight asked as she walked away, unable to stand being close to the red flying squirrel. "I know he's pretty annoying," Splendid explained, "But trust me – if he dares lay even a finger on you, I'll make sure –" He was cut off as Moonlight kissed him, calming the otherwise slowly-angering squirrel. "Ladies first…" he insisted; the group followed as everyone entered 'Abandoned Mansion'.

The hallways had dusty cobwebs crawling with spiders, their tiny red eyes glowing in the dark and dropping onto unsuspecting heads as they walked under them; pulled back up, ready for the next victim. The kitchen was turned into a butchery – hanging mutilated corpses, dismembered body parts and blood-crusted kitchen utensils littered the room. Petunia (dressed as a fairy) was unfortunate to stumble into this room, screaming as fake blood splattered onto the wall just inches from her; ran and bumped into Handy (dressed as a rotting zombie) who had just escaped the zombie-infested dining room; the two screamed their heads off as bats flew overhead.

"What's their problem?" Cuddles (as a knight) asked as he and Giggles (as a princess) walked further down the hall, yelping as a skeleton dropped down from the rafters which shook violently and had flashing yellow eyes as it cackled. Disco Bear (wearing an 'Elvis' costume) was in the bathroom fixing up his afro when a grinning evil mask appeared within the glass. "Outta sight! That was cool…" he breathed as it disappeared. He chuckled as Mime (dressed as 'The Joker') walked in, pointing to the mirror. It was seconds later when the two ran out screaming at the top of their lungs – well, Disco Bear was screaming while Mime's mouth was wide open in fright. Behind them, the face of Bloody Mary cackled within the glass before disappearing once more.

"Whoever worked on this mansion did a pretty good job – had me going back there!" Moonlight panted as she sat herself on the bed. Flippy was trying not to laugh as he held a frightened Flaky close; the shivering porcupine was muttering about landing in a room-turned-swamp full of slimy goop and snapping angry crocodiles. He had something worse – was just inspecting a window when sticky strings seemingly coiled around him and lifted him into the air; his face went pale as he came face-to-face with a giant hissing tarantula. "Hey…where's Splendid?" he asked as they looked around.

"Guys?" said squirrel called out, finding himself separated from the group as he walked into the ballroom; yelped as a hand touched his shoulder. "Gotcha~!" jeered Splendont, snickering at the look on his blue doppelganger's face. Splendid's glare turned into shock as he looked behind his red 'twin'. "What?" asked Splendont. Turning around, they found themselves standing before a humongous axe-wielding demon that was materializing before them. "AH!" the two screamed as the axe was swung at them; opened a door to an adjoining room and slammed it shut, panting synchronized.

They found themselves in the bedroom…and watching another sight – Moonlight, Flippy and Flaky were hanging onto the mattress as the bed moved, revealing a roaring hairy monster underneath as it rose. Grabbing both girls, the bear rolled themselves off and landed in a crumpled heap onto the hard wooden floor. "GO, GO, GO!" Flippy ordered and the five of them left the room in the blink of an eye. "SHIT!" they all yelled as the axe-wielding demon returned, brandishing his weapon as they ran.

Pop (in a genie costume) was in another bedroom when he saw the group run past. "Heh…" he mumbled, smiling as Cub (dressed as a teddy bear) played around in a crib he found in the room. "Dada! Look!" exclaimed the little bear as he held up a ball…but then screamed as the ball had demonic skulls floating in it. "What the hey!" Pop yelled, grabbing a crying Cub and bolting out of the room as the once-colourful bedroom turned into the fiery depths of Hell. Meanwhile, Nutty (dressed as 'Willy Wonka') was chewing nervously on a lollipop as he sat in the TV room, watching a cartoon as he hoped it would calm him down. But then the TV then turned itself off…then turned on again showing a bloody face and a chainsaw revving up in the background. "MOMMY!" the hyperactive squirrel cried as chainsaws and blood-dripping body parts dropped down around him, scampered on all fours the moment they disappeared.

Outside in the backyard, Lifty and Shifty (both dressed as ninjas) were daring Russell (dressed as 'Jack Sparrow') to jump into the swimming pool. "Yar…if that be what you want," he sighed. The otter was about to…until the pool bubbled and changed colour until it was blood-red – the three screamed as bloody skeletons and moaning half-eaten corpses rose out of the water. Toothy (wearing a Halloween-inspired baseball uniform) was nearby, running away from demon guard dogs that were lurking in the garden.

Sniffles (dressed as Luke Skywalker from 'Star Wars') laughed so hard his sides hurt – he was responsible for the animatronics, holograms and lights within the entire mansion. Cro-Marmot (wrapped in orange-and-black streamers) and The Mole (wrapped in mummy bandages) were keeping him company and assisting with the controls as well. "Having fun?" Lumpy asked as he checked on them; snickered as he heard the screams blaring from the screens. "Show them to the living room – it's time for a breather," the moose requested. Pressing a button, flashing neon-blue arrows led the way to the mentioned room.

It was the only 'unmodified' area – a long buffet table filled with treats lined up one side of the humongous room, opposite an unlit fireplace. Orange and black balloons were tied to the corners of the room; matching streamers lined the ceiling. Exhausted citizens seated themselves either on provided couches or on the floor, relieved to take a break from all the screaming, yelling, etc.

"Hush little Flaky, don't say a word…Flippy's gonna buy you a mocking bird…" the green bear sang as he attempted to snap his girlfriend from a petrified state. "I think she's had too much," Splendid noted while Moonlight walked to one of the windows and glanced up at the stars, "Maybe some candy will –" He stopped as he caught a familiar green squirrel bent over at the table, jittering to himself.

Nutty was already feasting on the candy bowl…but luckily, there was more than enough to feed the entire town with; everyone has finally snapped out of their 'scared-to-death' state...almost. "What are you doing over here? Party's behind you…" said Splendid as he offered Moonlight some caramel toffees. "Stargazing..." she replied as though in a trance. She could remember her days at an orphanage – how the other kids bullied her all day and the caretakers would always find her either sitting outside at the sandbox or at the window in her room every night, gazing at the twinkling dots as if they held some mystery for her.

* * *

><p><em>"Whenever you feel down, all you have to do is to look at the stars – they'll cheer you up in no time," Starlight explained as she sat 3-year-old Moonlight on her lap as they looked up the starry sky. "How can stars cheer me up?" asked the little puppy as she looked at her. "Think of them as angels looking after you," her mother replied. "Does that mean Daddy is looking after us?" little Moonlight asked, earning a giggle. "You could say that, sweetie…" Starlight replied.<em>

* * *

><p>"You okay?" Splendid asked as she quickly wiped away a tear. She made an excuse about getting dust in her eye, slightly smearing her mascara. "Happy Halloween~!" Lumpy greeted as he barged into the room, startling a few of the citizens. The Mole rolled Cro-Marmot into the room with Sniffles following close behind them. "I hope our little monsters didn't scare you too much tonight – blame Sniffles here for making them come alive," the moose joked as the anteater chuckled to himself.<p>

Moonlight did seem to hear anything Lumpy is saying in the background as she was busy studying the gathering rain clouds; frowned as they hid away the stars. She turned away just as lightning flashed across the darkened sky. "I hope none of you planned to stay here tonight – we haven't managed to fix the front door as it gets jammed easily," Sniffles admitted. _'So much for backing out of Moonlight's dare at the last moment…'_ Flaky thought miserably, yelping as thunder seemed to shake the entire mansion.

Flippy – as he perceived the resulting sound as gunfire – immediately banged his head on the nearest wall as he attempted to keep his alter ego sealed in. He managed…but then he noticed flickering shadows in orange-yellow light. _'Wait a minute…'_ he thought, _'Orange-yellow light means…'_ He gulped nervously as he turned towards the fireplace – the thunder had somehow gone through the chimney and lit up the old logs, sparking the flames. It wasn't long before he heard the whimpering…then the low growling…and finally, the one thing that sent chills down his – and everyone else's – spines…

Laughter…cruel, cold laughter…

"_Who's up to play a little game~?_" growled a familiar dark feminine voice.

* * *

><p><em>[I know, I know – Halloween is long over! And I think I watched too much "Saw" (or any other horror movie) to write up this chapter…]<em>


	15. Chapter 14: Out For Blood

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

_[Ugh…this chapter took forever to think up! And getting other work in the way wasn't making it any easier.]_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 14 – Out For Blood**

* * *

><p>The flames seemed to be reflected within Evil Moonlight's flashing golden eyes as she stared at everyone. "Why so frightened? We're supposed to have a party…<em>my kind of party…<em>" she growled. _'Why now…out of all times!'_ Splendid thought miserably as everyone seemed to be backing towards the only exit.

She walked over to the buffet table and picked up a candy cane; slathered part of it in chocolate syrup. "Oh Nutty~!" she purred in a sing-song voice. As if hypnotized by the tone, the hyperactive squirrel seemed to have forgotten there was a 'flipped-out' wolf in the room and drooled at the sight of the chocolate-covered candy cane in her hand. "Fetch!" she commanded as she tossed it away. Nutty successfully caught it…but didn't notice the path she threw it onto until – _CRASH!_

"AH!" Nutty screamed as he crashed through the window and broken glass covered him head to toe; silenced as he snapped his neck upon landing. Evil Moonlight turned to the rest. "Let's get started, shall we?" she spoke, "Hide-and-Seek – I'm sure you all know that game, right~?" Everyone nodded silently. "Good…you have until the count of 100," she added as she clicked her claws, "Well, what are you waiting for?" As she turned her back on them, everyone rushed out the door. "1…2…4…8…16…32…" she called, secretly peeking behind her. Figuring she's got all the time tonight, she yanked the tablecloth (spilling the Halloween buffet onto the floor) and tied one end to the window frame; slid down, held Nutty's nape in her mouth, and climbed back up with the corpse.

Several minutes passed – despite having to go through the some of the props, almost everyone managed to find a suitable hiding place. "Ready or not, here I come~!" Evil Moonlight chimed, ears perking as the faint sound of a cane tapping the floorboards ratted out The Mole as he hurriedly tried to find a hiding place in the main hall. "You do realize you're exposed…" she said as she stood behind him. "H-Hey, I wasn't ready –!" The Mole protested as she held him in a choke hold before breaking his neck.

Nearby, Petunia gasped quietly and pressed herself closer into the shadows, hiding in the curtains as the insane wolf trudged past her dragging The Mole. "Something smells like…_pine_," she heard her say. The skunk shrieked as claws nearly scratched out her face, tearing into the velvet curtain. "Yee-haw!" she called out as she lassoed Petunia with the curtain tassels; strangled her to death as she pulled sharply, snapping the skunk's neck. "Three down…" she purred evilly as she dragged the corpses, "Eighteen more to go."

Meanwhile, upstairs in the attic – four of the guests were all crouched behind a worn-out couch, thankful this room was unaltered as well. "Ow! Watch it!" Flippy whispered angrily as Splendid accidentally stepped on his foot. Said flying squirrel apologized, only to yelp as Splendont elbowed his ribs. "Keep it down!" the red flying squirrel whispered. "_You_ keep it down!" Splendid whispered back aggressively. "Both of you – quiet!" Flaky half-yelled, clamping both hands on her mouth before letting out her signature laugh as all three boys glared at her. Sounds of crying, groaning, moaning, and screaming echoed around them, forcing them to press closer together in the cramped hiding place.

Downstairs, Evil Moonlight was having a ball of a time – her mind listing what she had done to her victims: Lumpy was lured into the 'swamp room' and snapped apart by robotic crocodiles; Russell was outside at the pool when he was caught and drowned to death; Sniffles was electrocuted when he accidentally exposed himself in the control room; Disco Bear got butchered when trying to hide in the kitchen, while Toothy was frozen to death before being smashed into pieces; Mime got crushed by the weight of giant robotic spiders – merely a bad choice since he thought hiding under them might scare her away.

"Stop it, please!" Pop begged as the insane wolf cornered him 'cursed nursery', only to be impaled by several tapered pieces of wood from a recently broken crib until he looked like a pin cushion. Hushed whimpering was then heard in a nearby dumbwaiter. "Oops?" she cried innocently as she undid the rope, sneering as Cub's wails echoed down the shaft before ending with a muffled _SPLAT_. Reeling it back to her level, she giggled as she pulled out a mangled mush that used to be Pop's son.

"I'm fucking starving…" Evil Moonlight mumbled as she fed herself on a freshly-hunted Cuddles in the living room. Giggles, who was watching from the shadows, was unable to control her whimpering before being sniffed out; screamed as she was caught by her neck. "It's a little chilly in here…why don't you help me warm up the fire?" the wolf jeered, growling as she tossed the screaming chipmunk into the raging fireplace. She then walked over and began clawing away at Cro-Marmot's ice block; reached down into his frozen body and ripped out his heart, enjoying her little snack before moving onto her next victims.

Handy held his breath and pretended to look dead – literally – as he hid among the zombies in the dining room…but his bright orange fur gave him away and was gutted out within five gruesome minutes, intestines making a sort of intricate pattern on the dining table. "This party feels so dead…" she said to no-one as she dragged Handy's corpse out of the zombie-infested room.

Lifty and Shifty were tricky to find, considering they were using their ninja costumes to their full extent; evaded and changed their hiding spot each time Evil Moonlight passed by. "Come on, we can make it – the door's right there!" Shifty quietly called out as he and his brother made a mad dash to the main entrance. "_Konichiwa~!_" Evil Moonlight greeted as she slammed the door closed, flashing her sharp canines. She then held up some sharpened candy canes in her clawed hands before hurling them at the shocked raccoons, growling as they dodged.

Brandishing curtain rods-turned-staffs they found earlier in the mansion, Lifty and Shifty armed themselves. "You want a fight? You got it!" she yelled as she assumed her Karate stance. The twin raccoons yelled battle cries and jumped into the air, bringing down their staffs upon landing. The wolf evaded and grabbed their weapons; swung them around before flinging them to the other side of the room, watching them smash against a wall.

_"What are you doing? STOP!"_ Moonlight begged from within, screaming as her alter ego began pounding her current victims with their own weapons; tied them to two chairs. "You guys don't look so good," said Evil Moonlight, "Maybe a snack will freshen you up." And with that, she shoved handfuls of candy down each raccoons' throats until they found it hard to breathe. "Aww…too much? Let's make some space in your stomachs, then!" she suggested. "GAH!" they screamed as her claws were thrust into their bellies and were pulled out, covering her hands with half-digested food mingled with blood.

Back upstairs – "Screw this, I'm getting out!" Splendont declared as he stood from their hiding place; shook off the blue flying squirrel's hand as he tried to pull him back down. "Look – I'm not sticking around until that bitch finds me. And I suggest you do the –" the red squirrel ranted, stopping as he noticed they were looking behind him. "Uh…hi. Nice party, isn't it?" Flippy half-joked. Splendon't turned and glared at the blood-covered wolf. "You won't be taking me alive…" he said, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"Why, thank you – because I'd rather prefer the opposite!" she yelled, suddenly pouncing from her spot and pinning him to the floor, baring her sharp teeth. "Moonlight, stop!" Splendid ordered as he tries to pull her off, only to be shoved hard and smacking against a bookshelf; knocked unconscious as heavy books fell on his head, one managing to tear a small but deep gash before he collapsed to the floor.

"Argh!" Evil Moonlight yelped as Splendont threw her off; immediately got back on her feet, only to be pinned down by a determined squirrel, who was then thrown off as though it was a reverse 'leap frog' game. Flippy and Flaky rushed over to Splendid and attempted to revive him while the two battled it out – punching, kicking, grappling, flipping over and whatnot as they struggled to pin the other down. "Ugh!" Splendont yelled as she landed two direct punches to his torso, spitting his blood onto her face. She giggled and landed even more, hearing the bones shatter beneath her fists. The red flying squirrel finally fainted as he ran out of breath.

"You two – follow me…" Evil Moonlight demanded as she glared at Flippy and Flaky, "Unless you want to join everyone else." Picking up the still-breathing flying squirrels by their costumes, she dragged them while her brother and his spiky girlfriend walked ahead until they were in the main lobby.

Flippy held a frightened Flaky close, her fearful sobs almost inaudible to the rain pattering heavily on the Abandoned Mansion's window. Around him were mutilated bodies of all the citizens of Happy Tree Town – except for two, who were knocked unconscious. "Why are you doing this…why now…" the war veteran mumbled while Flaky cried harder into his chest. His golden-eyed sister made no reply. "Why, damn it!" he demanded. Once again, she was silent.

_"If it's one thing I'm scared of, it's her…"_ Flipqy's voice echoed, _"Her…out of everything else. And I couldn't explain why…"_ Flipqy explained, confused. Within Flippy's otherwise-peaceful mind, the war-enraged bear paced silently as he pondered to himself – why was he scared of someone who's just like him; why doesn't she see their connection.

Although slightly amusing, Flippy thought Flipqy was ruthless and fearless – but scared of one of their own? He almost laughed, but fiery golden eyes stopped him from doing so. "Moonlight," he requested, "Could you let us go now?" His sister made no reply and kept staring, expressionless. Flaky looked up, tears brimming in her eyes as she watched her friend-turned-killer rip out a heart from one of her many victims; gagged as she watched her feed and blood ran down her already-stained muzzle.

Splendid slowly regained consciousness as she growled darkly, wiping the blood that streaked over his eye. _'Of all the girls, I had to pick the dangerous one…'_ he thought, sitting up and slowly shaking his throbbing head. As he attempted to stand, he suddenly collapsed onto one knee as he was quite disoriented. He looked up, forcing himself not to flinch as she stared back at him. To his left, low groaning was heard as his red 'twin' regained consciousness.

Splendont groaned and attempted to lift himself up, only to crash down with a yelp as broken ribs rattled inside him. "What…happened to you?" Splendid asked as he stood, swaying for a while on his feet. Splendont groaned once more and flipped onto his back, allowing his blue 'twin' to notice severe bruising on his torso. His breathing was laboured, chest rising and falling as Splendont's lungs throbbed agonizingly from the earlier impacts.

Flippy pushed Flaky behind himself, standing firm as he glared at Moonlight. "I repeat: Why are you doing this to us?" he demanded, clenching his fists. "I don't know…" she replied, licking off the blood from her snack. The answer didn't convince anyone. "Don't make me ask you again," the green army bear prodded. Her cold stare wavered as she glanced at him.

"You don't know what it's like living a traumatic childhood," the wolf growled ferociously. She then punched a wall as childhood memories flashed before her eyes; closed them as she bit back a sob. "You don't know how it feels to be abandoned at a tender age," she explained, "And the pain…the pain was…just too much to bear." Angry tears were starting to brim as she turned to them. "That's why I kill…" she admitted, "To make everyone feel the pain I've been through!"

"But why us?" Splendont winced, "Why not the ones who did this to you in the first place?" He immediately regretted his choice of words as she stomped over; screamed as she pressed down on his already broken torso, abruptly cutting off as his lungs got pierced by bone fragments. "Those responsible aren't here, are they?" she growled angrily as she got off, smirking as he coughed up blood. Feeling the urge to get more blood on herself, she turned to Flaky and chuckled evilly.

As if sensing her intentions, Flippy moved towards Evil Moonlight and pinned her against a wall; both growled as they both got off the wall and wrestled on the ground. She then kicked him in the stomach and pushed him off; raced for Flaky before holding the whimpering porcupine in a vice-like grip. "Let her go, Moonlight!" the war veteran ordered. "Sure, why not~?" she purred evilly, digging her claws into her arm until it reached the bone.

Flaky's resulting scream was so loud it drowned out the thunder; freed herself by using her quills, forcing the wolf to back away from being impaled. The red porcupine then fled into Flippy's arms, sobbing once more. "Don't hurt us…" begged Flaky, trying to hide a fresh cut on her arm. The wolf snarled back as she flexed her claws.

Splendid couldn't take any more of this scenario; stepped in front of his insane girlfriend. "Get a hold of yourself, Moonlight!" ordered Splendid, masking his fear with anger. She tried to edge past him, but he kept blocking her path. "The Moonlight I know wouldn't do this…" he said as he held her shoulders, "Now calm down." For a second, he thought he saw her mood soften up as she looked down at the floor.

The wolf turned to him, emotionless. "Moonlight's dead…" she said, "I'm her shadow, Eclipse." She suddenly shoved him away and sprinted towards Flaky, baring her teeth and claws as she howled…but then she stopped short, eyes wide open in shock. "W-What…ugh…" she moaned as she collapsed, panting as a dart was imbedded into her neck. Blinking, her eyes turned from fierce gold into peaceful blue.

"Ah!" Flippy yelled as a similar dart hit his neck, feeling woozy within seconds. "Flippy!" Flaky yelled, catching him as he fainted. "G-Guys…" Moonlight whispered as her eyelids felt heavy; finally sleeping as she fell face-first to the floor.

"Subjects drugged and out like a light," one tiger soldier reported as they surrounded the group, "There are witnesses. What are your orders, General?" Flippy could only make out a blurred vision of a familiar adversary; fell unconscious just as Flaky and Splendid put up a fight as they tried to restrain them as well.


	16. Chapter 15: Carriers

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 15 – Carriers**

* * *

><p><em>"But Dad, I don't wanna go to boot camp! Besides, haven't you taught me enough?" 15-year-old Flippy complained as Captain announced he had signed him up. "You're going in along with everyone else – no exception," his father replied. Flippy sighed in defeat, letting out a slew of curses under his breath. "Watch your language, boy…" the blue-eyed bear scolded.<em>

_"How come you get to curse while I don't?" the green-eyed bear countered, "I bet even Mom wouldn't mind." At that, his father froze and a frown distorted his otherwise-stern face. "Sorry…" he apologized, knowing that mentioning anything about his mother – whom he had never known since then – upsets his father easily. He was forgiven by a pat on the head, followed by a smile he sometimes sees on his father's face._

_"I couldn't stay mad at my own son…" Captain said as he sat next to his young soldier. The older bear bit back a sob as Flippy's green eyes reminded him so much about Starlight. "Are you crying again?" Flippy asked, fighting back a smirk…and blocked a punch headed for his arm. Captain chuckled, trapping him in a bear hug instead. "Dad…Dad! I can't breathe!" Flippy wheezed, laughing along with his father as he finally let go._

* * *

><p>"Flippy…Flippy, wake up…" Moonlight whispered, gently shaking her brother. Glancing around, she realized they're in a prison cell – concrete walls surrounded the small space, the only entranceexit being an iron door with bars across the small window. "Eat up!" ordered a gruff voice as a food tray was slid through a narrow opening just under the window. Two beds stood on the left and right sides of the door, their rusty legs and tattered mattresses looking unwelcoming to the occupants.

"Ngh…" he groaned, sitting up and massaging his neck. He looked up as his sister picked up the food tray, grimacing at the contents. He also noticed their Halloween costumes were crusted with dirt. "Where are we?" he asked as he picked up a sample of 'prison slop', disgust evident on his face as he forcefully swallowed what turned out to be five-day-old beef and canned corn. _'I'm gonna throw up sometime later…'_ he mentally noted.

Moonlight was silent as she fed herself on the half-rotten food…but stopped immediately as she ran to a rusty toilet in one corner and wretched violently. Flippy wasn't feeling great himself, but he had more than enough training to avoid suffering the same result – but he has his limits. "Just let it all out…" he said as he patted her back. Helping her back to his bed, he tried to feed her more of the food – only to watch her heave it across the room with a hateful look on her face.

Just then the door opened and the Tiger General stepped through, sneering at his prisoners. Even though all three were seeing eye-to-eye as the siblings stood, the Tiger General was taller than them by a few inches. "I see you've made yourselves comfortable," he sarcastically remarked. Moonlight growled and prepared to lunge, but was held back by Flippy. "Now, now…let's not be rash," the Tiger General added, "You wouldn't want to have your friends hurt, now do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Flippy growled. The Tiger General snapped his fingers and two soldiers restrained the siblings before nudging them forward. They stopped at the next cell; one soldier trained his gun at the occupants while the soldiers holding Flippy and Moonlight shoved them inside.

A familiar red porcupine was sobbing bitterly as she curled up on a tattered bed. "Flaky!" Flippy called, wincing as the soldier kept his hold on him. His girlfriend looked up; ran and hugged him as she cried into his shoulder. "Don't worry…we'll get out of this hellhole soon…" he whispered as his cheek rubbed against hers, her tears staining his face.

On opposite bed, a blue flying squirrel groaned as glowing green handcuffs restrained him to the wall; traces of vomit stained his chest and mouth. "Splendid…" Moonlight whispered miserably; her expression suddenly changed to anger. "_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?_" she shouted, yelping as the Tiger General slapped her. "Stop it!" her boyfriend pleaded, moaning painfully. The Tiger General nodded once more; two more soldiers restrained Flaky and Splendid before all four were led to a different room; locked in the moment they were released.

"Damn these guys…they know my weakness," Splendid muttered as he shook his head and wiped off the vomit sticking to his mouth. "What weakness?" Moonlight asked as she inspected their new surroundings – water sprinklers lined the concrete ceiling and walls; there was a drain in the tiled floor. _'Is this supposed to be a shower room?'_ she wondered. Splendid was about to reply when water was suddenly sprayed at them in all directions, the high pressure and cold temperature pelting them like miniature drops of ice.

After an impromptu group shower, four bundles of clothes were pushed into an opening at the door; they changed into the bluish-grey jumpsuits before dumping their ruined Halloween costumes in the middle of the room. "No…" Splendid moaned as the door opened, revealing a soldier holding a glowing nut in his hand; Moonlight caught him as he collapsed onto her. "K-Kryptonut…" he groaned, unable to fight back as a soldier restrained him with the same cuffs he had earlier; Moonlight was held back, her pleading unheeded as they got separated.

"Flippy!" Flaky cried as he was pummeled to the floor by a group of soldiers; sobbing as they restrained and took her away. A distraught Moonlight broke free from the soldier holding her and pounced onto the group, snarling as she desperately tried to get them off her brother. "Come on!" she yelled as she helped him up…only to have her path blocked by more soldiers training their guns on them.

"We can't let you leave just yet…" the Tiger General said as he walked towards them. Restrained once more, Flippy and Flaky were then brought to another room – this time a laboratory. "Before we get started, how about a little reunion?" he offered. Neither knew what he meant…until the door opened and two more prisoners were nudged in – one was a green bear, slightly taller than Flippy but with ocean-blue eyes; the other was a gray-and-white wolf with black hair and emerald-green eyes.

All four prisoners had their handcuffs removed, allowing them to walk closer while still having guns trained on them. "Mom?" asked Moonlight, her eyes brimming with tears as she hugged Starlight. "Mom!" she cried, sobbing bitterly onto her shoulder. "Ssh…it's okay – I'm here, my little puppy…" her mother soothed, shedding some tears herself.

Flippy bit his lower lip as he looked at his father. "I thought you were dead…" he spoke just above a whisper, "I was even at your funeral." As if to prove it, the green-eyed bear held up his father's half-scorched dog tag. Captain explained he ejected just mere seconds before his jet exploded; as for the funeral, the coffin was empty (it was already nailed shut so he wouldn't know). "You mean I attended the funeral for nothing?" Flippy yelled angrily...but then calmed down, wiping away any tears threatening to leak out his eyes.

"Come here…" said Captain, holding out his arms; Flippy hugged him without hesitation, biting back his sobs. "I'm sorry I deceived you…" his father apologized, "But these guys were getting too close to knowing the truth. I –" but he was cut off as the Tiger General hit his nape; stood up with Flippy's help. "Tell them…" the blue tiger ordered.

* * *

><p><em>Flippy and Moonlight – both 1-month-old – watched their parents with curious little eyes as they sat in their crib. They were too young to realize they were in a laboratory. The blue-eyed wolf pup babbled as she reached up with her tiny, pudgy arms; baby Flippy did the same, oblivious to what his sister's doing. The Tiger – who was a Lieutenant at the time – chuckled and tickled the non-identical twins, smiling as they let out high-pitched squeals.<em>

_"Well, it seems everything is in order," he said to Captain and Starlight who were apparently busy, "I'll just take my leave now. Give me a shout if you need anything." And with that, the blue tiger exited the lab, but not before watching the twins wave 'goodbye' to him._

_"Is he gone?" Starlight asked. Captain nodded, tapping two needles while his wife brought Moonlight to them. "This won't hurt one bit," she assured as she rubbed anesthetic on her daughter's arm; distracted her with a teddy bear. However, the little puppy felt the needle prick and began bawling her lungs out. "Ssh…" Captain soothed as he comforted her._

_Flippy was waving his little arms, giving some difficulty keeping him still to inject the fluid from the second needle into him…but it wasn't long before he had the same reaction, his crying much louder than his sister's. "What happened?" the blue tiger asked as he walked hurriedly into the room. "Oh, it's nothing…the kids just wanted attention," Captain lied, both covering their children's pricked arms._

* * *

><p>"They were harmless forms of the weapon – we injected one of each kind into both of you so you could develop immunity to them," Starlight explained. Moonlight gasped, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why…" Flippy asked, his facial expression somewhere between angry and confused. The Tiger General kept his frown on as they played a video on a screen.<p>

"The weapon is actually a virus – deadly enough it would kill you within 15 minutes of inhaling it," Captain replied, "It enters the bone marrow and speeds up the production of red blood cells. The blood vessels become constricted as the number of red blood cells increases faster than they could be gotten rid of, eventually bursting them; the victim starts swelling up like a red balloon…and explodes after 15 minutes." Flippy cringed as the video showed some lab rats being tested with the virus. _"A virus-laced walking bomb…"_ Flipqy remarked; Eclipse – if she were physically standing next to Moonlight right now – went pale.

Moonlight was whimpering as she watched some unlucky tiger soldiers suffer the same fate as the rats. "Your parents were so clever – rather than admitting there's actually a failsafe to the weapon they've created, they hid it in your blood," the Tiger General growled, "And what's worse, they released the virus into the base before they fled along with you!"

It was then Moonlight understood why her mother was overprotective – she feared anyone might've been covertly working for the Tiger General, waiting for the opportune moment to snatch her away if her mother so much as turned her back. As for the reason behind the separation, she and Flippy acted as 'lock and key' – one had the harmless virus strain; the other had the catalyst to activate the 'antivirus'.

"How could you…" Moonlight growled, baring her teeth and clenching her fists, "How could you do this to us? _We were just kids, damn it!_" Flippy held back his sister as she roared, her punches and kicks connecting with air; he was angry too, but he also knew fighting about it won't change anything. Just then, the Tiger General received disturbing news – the extractor had been sabotaged and repairs to the contraption might not be done until tomorrow.

"WHAT?" he yelled, grabbing his messenger by the neck and hurling him onto a lab table, smashing the glass apparatus. "TAKE THEM BACK TO THEIR CELLS!" he ordered. "_Not today!_" Flippy growled, allowing his alter ego to take over as he forced himself to think of the war. Laughing evilly, he grabbed two large flasks full of acid and hurled the contents as he spun in a circle, his golden eyes gleaming as his enemies' faces melted away. "Look out!" Captain yelled as the acid almost hit him and Starlight, knocking over a lit Bunsen burner and setting fire to some flammable chemicals.

_"Admit it…you need me now…"_ Eclipse purred within Moonlight's head. _'Damn it, I hate it when you're right!'_ the hesitant wolf thought, immediately turning to the flames…and then giggling evilly within seconds. "Save some for me, Twin Brother~!" she reminded as she picked up large shards of broken glass and treating them like daggers. "He's getting away!" Starlight yelled as the Tiger General made a mad dash for the exit.

"Not if I can help it…" growled Eclipse, throwing one of her glass shards and impaling him in the leg; ran and pounced onto his back before furiously clawing at him, his agonized cries drowned out by her crazed howls. "Go, get outta here!" Flipqy ordered as he helped up his parents. A sudden explosion snapped both out of their 'flipped-out' states and the blast threw everyone against a wall, leaving life-sized dents of themselves before falling into crumpled heaps onto the floor.

Moonlight shook her head, glancing at her blood-soaked hands and letting out a hysterical giggle. "N-Not a-again…" she stuttered, changing her mind as she looked at an unconscious and bleeding Tiger General not far off. "What happened here?" Captain wondered out loud as he noticed the change in their behavior. "PTSD…" Flippy replied, staggering to his feet, "We'll explain that later. Right now, let's get out of here." Unbeknown to the fleeing family, the Tiger General growled as he slowly regained consciousness, twitching his fingers as he reached for his radio…

The tiger soldiers were crawling through the entire base as orders to find and re-capture the escaped prisoners blared in speakers above them. Flaky stood up and looked through the barred window as soldiers ran past her cell, armed with bayonets. "Ah!" she yelped as a familiar green face suddenly showed up seconds later, stumbling backwards in surprise. "Flippy~!" she cheered, smiling through her tears as he held up a key before unlocking the door; hugged him as soon as the door swung open.

"These cuffs…get them off…" Splendid demanded weakly. Flippy handed Moonlight the key and removed the glowing handcuffs, tossing them as far as she could. "Much…better…" her boyfriend sighed, chuckling as she embraced him. "Let get out of here," Flippy suggested as all six turned to the door…only to be blocked by heavy iron bars.

"Nice try…" the Tiger General's pained voice blared over the speakers, "You can run all you want, but I'll get what I want in the end!" Little did he know Splendid wasn't restrained anymore – he broke off the bars, allowing all six of them to escape. "Follow me!" Captain ordered, "I know where they keep the motorboats!"

"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!" the Tiger General ordered. Splendid flew up front, smashing through hordes of tiger soldiers while Captain gave him directions; eventually ended outdoors, at the harbour. "Does anyone know how to drive this thing?" Starlight asked. "Leave it to me!" Flaky replied as she maneuvered the controls. Flippy asked when and where did she learn to drive a motorboat – she replied after her experience with trying to fly a plane (which crashed anyway), she figured she might as well learn how to drive other vehicles in case she lands in this situation. "Am I lucky you're my girl…" Flippy commented as he kissed her neck.

As soon as they sped off, they got company. "STOP THEM!" the Tiger General commanded from one of the motorboats. The chase was on…

* * *

><p><em>[In case you didn't understand the part about Flaky trying to fly a plane, watch the "Wingin' It" episode. And yes, I forgot Splendont here…he'll be back in the next chapter!]<em>


	17. Chapter 16: Captured

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

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><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 16 – Captured**

* * *

><p>"Incoming!" Captain shouted, forcing everyone to duck as bullets whizzed past their heads. A familiar <em>WHOOSH<em> sounded overhead; Splendid glanced up at his red doppelganger, catching a pissed-off look in his face. "I'll handle him!" he shouted as he took off. Whoever watched the sky battle could only see red and blue blurs moving towards and bouncing off at incredible velocity.

More gunshots were fired, keeping everyone down until their clips ran out. "Flaky, watch the road – I mean, water!" Flippy warned as they headed towards a sharp rocky bank. The porcupine screamed and made a sharp turn, almost throwing everyone off. "WHOA!" screamed one group of soldiers as they bounced on the rocks, their motorboat shattering into nothing but splinters while the passengers onboard were impaled and/or crushed on the rocks. "Sorry~!" Flaky called out, unable to wipe a grin off her face.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"You never quit, do you?" Splendont yelled as he locked arms with his blue adversary. Splendid roared and threw him off before zooming after him, landing a direct punch to his face. "Why should I?" the blue squirrel yelled back, yelping as a kick was landed onto his stomach.

"Because –" Splendon't replied as he held him in a choke hold, "I SAID SO!" Keeping a firm grip on him, Splendont dived downwards towards the open sea. Splendid noticed his intentions and began to pry off his arm, but he was too late.

_SPLASH!_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Splendid!" Moonlight screamed as she watched them; her eyes widened in shock as two harpoons lodged onto their motorboat – one on each side. "We're being pulled back!" Flaky yelled as she increased the speed, "Damn it, I can't get them off!" Flippy brought out his army knife and severed the lines, freeing them.

But another four harpoons took their place – two on each side. "Now we're getting ripped apart!" Flaky screamed as their motorboat creaked, threatening to split. "Mom, Dad – stay here with Flaky! Moonlight, you're with me!" Flippy ordered as they balanced on opposite sides of the boat; both roared as they leaped, landing successfully on the enemies' boats before swiftly killing the driver and passengers onboard.

Grabbing a radio and severing the harpoon line, Flippy yelled if Moonlight is doing fine on her side. "I'd rather jump if I were you!" she replied. Flippy looked ahead and noticed they were heading straight for another rocky bank. Both giving a quick running start, they leaped just as the motorboats they were on exploded on the rocks.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Underwater, Splendid unintentionally let out some air bubbles as his red adversary attempted to strangle him. He managed to elbow his ribs and freed himself…then swam out of a Great White shark's path. Splendont growled and swam after Splendid – both resumed their fight until the blue flying squirrel tore off part of his torso, his enemy's screams escaping as bubbles mingling with the flowing blood.

Attracted by the scent, the shark swam back savoring the taste of blood. His red 'twin' glared and attempted to inflict damage on his blue 'twin'…but the two swam away as the shark came back for more, this time heading towards Splendont. "SHIT!" he gurgled as he swam away, screaming as the shark got a hold of his tail. Splendid used the distraction to swim away, only to be pulled back down by an angry Splendont. Not wanting to drown, Splendid began frying the shark with his laser eyes – the meat eater roared in agony, releasing Splendont at the same time; both flying squirrels swam hurriedly to the surface for air.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Back on the boats, Flippy and Moonlight had just freed theirs from the harpoons and were using the stolen ones to jump onto other boats, repeating the process until there is only one left – the Tiger General's. "Why don't you just give up?" Flippy yelled, ramming his motorboat. "That's not what I had in mind!" the Tiger General yelled back, throwing off some of his men as he took over the controls. While he and Flippy continuously rammed each other, a loud _CRACK_ was heard up ahead. "Moonlight!" Flippy ordered, watching his sister speed away.

Flaky screamed as the boat cracked even more – the earlier tension from the harpoons had already split their motorboat from the inside, accelerating with the boat's speed. "Over here! JUMP!" Moonlight yelled, trying to keep the boat at the same pace while her parents and Flaky leaped – just as the first motorboat flipped and crumbled to pieces. "Hang on!" she ordered as she made a swift turn, heading straight back for the Tiger General's boat.

_'Take over!'_ Flippy ordered his alter ego; his eyes flashed from green to gold in an instant, roaring as he leapt from his motor boat and onto the Tiger General's. Said General immediately activated cruise control and began throwing punches at Flipqy; both successfully blocking each other. Moonlight – meanwhile – was circling them as she pondered her next move (and the safety of the passengers onboard)…

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Back on the water, both flying squirrels gasped for air as they broke through the surface; coughed and sputtered before glaring and resuming their battle with each other. "You're not within the border, Splendid…" Splendont growled as he grappled him, "It'll just be a lot easier if you just give up right now – if you wanna stay alive."

"Oh yeah? Same for you!" Splendid yelled as he reached back and slammed his fists into his head, breaking free and taking off into the air. Splendont shortly followed and the two circled each other. Their speed picked up and before they even realized it, they created a whirlpool. "Nice job!" Splendont yelled sarcastically. The blue flying squirrel realized his mistake, glancing at the remaining two motor boats on the water as they spiraled towards the center.

"Argh!" he yelped as he got tackled, his groans coming out as gurgles and bubbles as they splashed into the water again. Fortunately, he regained composure and retaliated – tearing off Splendont's flesh until the bone showed. The blood began to spread as Splendont desperately tried to cover up his injuries while his blue doppelganger escaped, leaving him to the sharks that were sucked into the whirlpool as well.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Flaky, take the wheel!" Moonlight ordered as she steadied herself on the motorboat's side, preparing to jump. "Moonlight, get down from there!" Starlight demanded, "If you miscalculate the jump, you'll be sucked into the whirlpool!" Splendid managed to land on their motorboat, panting heavily and spitting out some blood due to earlier impacts from his fight.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," the blue-eyed wolf explained, "And also, Flippy can't do this alone!" Said bear was growling as the Tiger General pinned him down, but not for long as he kicked him off. "Splendid – I want you to make sure these guys get back safely to Happy Tree Town," she ordered. "What? But I'm not leaving you here!" Splendid yelled, grabbing her tail before she could jump, "If you're going into the jaws of doom, then I'm coming with you!"

"Not this time…" she growled, yanking her tail back. A dumbfounded Splendid could see the determination in her eyes…but it also had a hint of uncertainty. "Wait!" Splendid yelled, but he was too late – Moonlight had already leaped and landed onto the Tiger General's motorboat; engaged in a fist-to-fist battle. "Tch…" he muttered, getting off and diving under the boat before lifting it out of the whirlpool and onto safer waters.

Flaky was gripping the wheel so hard her knuckled turned white; opened her scrunched-up eyes and realized they're out of the whirlpool with a half-unconscious Splendid onboard. "I didn't want to leave them there…" he rasped. Starlight was staring worriedly at the whirlpool while Flaky sobbed; both hoping Flippy and Moonlight would make it out alive.

"Knowing them for those few minutes, I'm sure they can handle themselves," said Captain as he helped up the exhausted squirrel, "Right now, our safety matters." Flaky hesitantly agreed and the group sped off, heading towards Happy Tree Town.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Argh!" Flipqy yelled as the Tiger General twisted his arms, dislocating both bones from their sockets. Just as he was about to deal the finishing blow, Moonlight intervened with a Karate chop to his neck, knocking the blue tiger away from her brother. She then pulled at his arms, Flipqy screaming as the bones were painfully relocated. "Thanks…" he growled, not caring when she flinched at the sight of his golden orbs.

It was then they noticed the motorboat was spinning a lot faster – all three looked to the side, screaming as they got closer to the center of the whirlpool. The motorboat was then sucked in, water rushing into their lungs as they had no time to hold their breath.

Splendont – meanwhile – managed to kill off the gathering sharks when he saw the boat getting crushed in the pressure and its passengers fall unconscious. Swimming swiftly, he dragged Flippy, Moonlight, and the Tiger General to the surface; mustering what's left of his strength, he carried the three back to the Tiger Base. The moment he reached shore, he fell unconscious as he bled profusely.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_"Flippy…get up, soldier…" "Moonlight, you there? Wake up, girl…"_

"Ugh…" Flippy groaned, coughing out some water that was still in his lungs. Looking around, he frowned as he found himself back in a prison cell. _"Man, what a ride! Too bad you didn't make it,"_ said Flipqy as he tried to stand, _"You've been out for hours."_ Moonlight was just beginning to stir, shaking her head as she sat up in bed before coughing violently. Flippy got off his bed and patted her back, helping her spit out ocean water.

"What happened?" she rasped, her question already answered as she looked around. _"You should've let me out!"_ Eclipse scolded, _"And because of you, we're back where we started!"_ Moonlight feared her alter ego was right and began to sob. "Ssh…" Flippy comforted as he hugged her, "If we managed to get out the first time, then we could do it again – trust me."

Meanwhile in another section of the base, a heavily bandaged Splendont limped into the Tiger General's office. "I did what you asked and even brought back the escaped subjects – now what about your end of the deal?" the red flying squirrel inquired. The blue tiger looked at him, bored. "What deal?" he asked, "I never agreed to anything."

Splendont's eyes widened in terror as tiger soldiers surrounded him. "Toss him in with the prisoners," the Tiger General ordered as he threw them some Kryptonut-infused handcuffs, "He's of no use to me now."

"_YOU BASTARD! DOUBLE-CROSSER! I'm gonna –!_" Splendont yelled, groaning as the Kryptonut's effect silenced him. Helpless, the cuffed squirrel let himself get dragged away to the prison cells; thrown into the same cell Flippy and Moonlight were in.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Back in Happy Tree Town, all the citizens heard the disturbing news as Flaky and Splendid narrated to them in the Town Hall; Captain and Starlight's explanation of the 'virus-laced walking bomb' didn't ease their nerves. "There's no doubt they'll release the virus soon," Starlight announced, "Our kids – Flippy and Moonlight – are the only ones in this world carrying the cure. Without it, everyone will die."

"Nobody can die in this town anyway," Cuddles countered, "We'll always come back good as new." Splendid noticed the familiar look of disbelief in Captain and Starlight's eyes; said both Flippy and Moonlight experienced it themselves, just like everyone else in Happy Tree Town. "That aside, we need to come up with a plan to get them back _and_ possibly stop the virus release," said Captain. The townsfolk began to mutter worriedly to themselves.

"There is no time to discuss!" Flaky declared, silencing everyone, "Two of our citizens are out there, risking their lives. And we're just going to sit here and wait till the virus gets us?" Everyone remained silent for a definite amount of time. "I'll help," Sniffles offered, holding out blueprints for a jet he was currently working on. "You'll need me, then," said Handy, "I may not have any hands – damn myself for losing them! – but I know a lot about construction."

Eventually, everyone in town agreed to team up – much to Captain and Starlight's relief. "We don't have time to lose. Let's get started!" Splendid announced. The rescue team is on their way…

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"General, we managed to fix the extractor earlier than scheduled," reported a tiger messenger, "Further adjustments to the contraption are going on as we speak."

"Excellent…" the Tiger General snickered, "Prepare the 'patients' as soon as it's ready."


	18. Chapter 17: Fueled By Rage

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

_[Okay, this must be one of the biggest chapters I wrote down – sorry if it took so long…]_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 17 – Fueled By Rage**

* * *

><p>"So…how does it feel to be betrayed?" Flippy asked sarcastically at a weakened Splendont, only receiving silence in return. "I can't believe it was <em>you<em> who ratted us out," Moonlight growled, "If you haven't done that, _we wouldn't be in this fucking mess_!" She wanted to say more, but Flippy silenced her.

"I know I screwed up…" Splendont admitted, "But I didn't know he was gonna double-cross me. All I ever thought about were the 'benefits' he promised." He then coughed, bile leaking out his mouth as he tried to hold it in. All three turned to the door as the food slot slid open; Moonlight groaned disdainfully and snatched the tray, almost spilling its contents. "I can't believe we're forced to eat this shit," she muttered.

Although Flippy wanted to say he had a worse experience when he was at war, he kept silent as he didn't want to stress her even more. But then his eyes traveled to the tray itself; tossed away the half-rotten food and tapped the thin metal with his fingers. "I got an idea…" he mumbled, a smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Moonlight, I'll need your claws."

Turning to Splendont, he asked if he could still use his laser vision even his state. "What for?" asked the red squirrel, too weak to argue. "I could use a welding torch," Flippy replied, tearing up a strip from one of the mattresses' sheets. Moonlight extended her claws and began cutting up the tray as requested. "Besides…don't you think the Tiger General deserves a little payback?" the green bear added. Splendont agreed without hesitation.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Back in Happy Tree Town – Captain rounded up the 'rescue team': Cuddles, Flaky, Handy, Lifty, Shifty, and Splendid. "Here is the manual," Sniffles explained to the older green bear, "It's quite similar to the controls of the jets you flew in the old days, but I've added a few more gizmos that will be useful." He also noticed this 'Stealth Jet' looks…quite big and bulky. Not what the retired fighter pilot had in mind. Some commotion was then heard behind them – Sniffles and Captain turned to find Lumpy stacking crates of firearms and ammo (Flaky happened to discover them hidden in the barracks' garage) into the jet's cargo hold; growled in annoyance as he seemed to be dropping them despite the 'handle with care' sign.

Starlight was giving quick lessons in handling firearms while Giggles prepared specially-treated surgical masks to counteract the virus should they come into contact with it. "Watch it!" Shifty scolded as he pointed his brother's gun barrel to the sky. "It's not even loaded. See?" said Lifty as he pulled the trigger – both jumped in surprise as explosive gunfire echoed around them. "You fucking idiot, you could've killed me!" yelled the fedora-wearing raccoon. Starlight did a facepalm at their stupidity – she _swore_ she told them they were _already_ loaded.

"Be careful out there, Handy…" Petunia begged as she hugged her boyfriend (since he couldn't handle a gun – much less hold it – he's in charge of any Stealth Jet repairs); Cuddles and Giggles shared one last kiss before he boarded the jet. "Don't worry!" Disco Bear called out to the yellow rabbit and orange beaver, "I'll take good care of them!" Neither Giggles nor Petunia liked the idea; shoved him away as they waved 'goodbye' to their boyfriends.

Pressing a few buttons and flipping a few switches, Captain activated the Stealth Jet's controls as soon as he scanned through the manual. _'This should be a piece of cake. Now if I could remember my flight training…'_ he thought as he grasped the wheel. Starlight joined him in the co-pilot seat; behind them, the assembled team strapped in.

Splendid caught a worried look in Flaky's ruby eyes; held her hand and said they'll bring Flippy and Moonlight home in one piece. "It's not just that…" the red porcupine admitted, "I'm a little scared of flying." Her point was proven when she whimpered as the jet began to taxi along the runway. "Stealth Jet, you're clear for takeoff," Sniffles voice blared out from an onboard radio.

"Roger that…here goes nothing," the blue-eyed green bear replied as he began to pull up, lifting the jet off the ground. Below, the rest of the town citizens cheered and waved as the jet sped off…and got blown back by the sonic boom, shattering their eardrums and exploding those who were at close range. _'Holy shit, this thing sure is FAST despite its size!'_ Captain exclaimed mentally, smirking as they'll arrive at the Tiger Base in record time.

Splendid was the only one who looked out the window, silently gasping at the sight of scattered remains and blood littering the runway. _'I hope we don't come home to face a mob…'_ he thought as he looked away, pretending not to notice anything.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Ssh…" whispered Flippy as he stood at one side of the door. As soon as it opened, he stabbed a solider at his nape with a makeshift dagger he had just made out of the tray (the metal wasn't that strong, so he had Splendont weld 2-3 pieces together), its handle being a strip of bedsheet wrapped around at one end. Two more soldiers followed – both suffered the same fate. Moonlight quickly dragged the bodies inside while her brother closed the door.

Splendont (who just had the Kryptonut-infused cuffs removed, snapped and thrown to one corner of the cell) didn't just want revenge against the Tiger General; he wanted to 'make it up' to the siblings and agreed to help them escape. _'After all…it's my fault they're here in the first place,'_ he thought.

"Could you two turn around for a bit?" Moonlight requested as she stripped off one soldier's uniform. Splendont peeked over his shoulder as she slipped off her jumpsuit, catching a glimpse of the wolf's butt…and had Flippy slap his head back to the front. "What?" the red squirrel hissed; Flippy rolled his eyes. "Are you two gonna change or what?" Moonlight asked as she tied her hair with a torn strip of bedsheet; tried to hide her ponytail under the cap.

Flippy slipped out of his jumpsuit and into a stolen uniform, trying to neaten up a few wrinkles while at it. Splendont had some difficulty trying to hide his tail; noted Moonlight's tail is also exposed. "Just try to hide it anyway," Flippy growled. He then walked over to his sister and helped re-do her hair so it wouldn't be too obvious with the cap on. "We still don't look like tiger soldiers…" Splendont noted as he studied their fur colour, "But I can fix that."

Taking the lead, the red squirrel led them to a storage room and pointed at canisters of blue and black paint sitting on the shelves; sprayed Flippy's exposed fur with the blue paint and used black paint for the stripes; did the same with Moonlight and himself. "What about our tails?" Splendont asked. Moonlight had an idea – finding some plastic sheeting, she wrapped her fluffy tail until it looked thin enough; sprayed it blue with black stripes until it did look like a tiger's tail. Splendont copied her…then noticed Flippy couldn't. "Use this," she suggested as she handed him some plastic tubing – and in a few minutes, Flippy had a tiger tail himself.

"What are you doing in there?" asked an unknown voice at the door. All three turned to find a tiger soldier staring at them suspiciously. "We – uh – we're new recruits," Flippy lied, deepening his voice a little, "This isn't the barracks, right?" The soldier cocked his eyebrows and replied the barracks are outside of this building. "Thanks," said Splendont, quietly sighing in relief as the tiger soldier left.

But just as they left the room, several soldiers circled them with their guns trained at their heads; one was holding a Kryptonut, much to Splendont's annoyance. "Nice try," said the tiger soldier they've met earlier, "Those are pretty good disguises – but it seems the _female_ forgot one thing." Moonlight then noticed the uniform was quite tight, her breasts showing as obvious 'bumps' on her torso. "Shit…" she muttered, "My bad."

The three were then shoved into the shower room, the cold water rinsing off the blue and black paint. "So much for an escape plan…" muttered Splendont as they got rid of their 'fake tails' and wrung the water out of their real ones. "Alright you three – move it or die," ordered the tiger solider as they nudged them, soaking wet, to the lab. And much to Splendont's dismay, another pair of Kryptonut-infused handcuffs is snapped onto his wrists.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Just a few miles outside the Tiger Base, Captain tweaked the controls as they hovered a few feet off the ground. "I know this is the wrong time, but I want to admit something," he said, "Flying: I can handle. Landing –!" He cut himself off as he landed the jet with a jolt, startling everyone. "Not so much…" he finished. As he unbuckled himself, everyone followed suit to the back of the huge jet while Starlight laid out the Tiger Base's blueprints.

"First, we'll need a disguise," Captain explained before pointing a certain area on the map, "Lifty, Shifty – sneak into the barracks and pick up some uniforms." The two raccoons scampered off without a question…and returned a few minutes later. "That was fast…" Captain commented, surprised. "Stealing is our specialty~!" the twins chimed as they handed out the uniforms; they also picked up some radios and some black and blue paint.

As soon as everyone changed into the stolen uniforms (followed by a quick 'tiger fur' makeover), Captain laid out the plan – Lifty and Shifty will head to the security control room and disable the alarms; once they give the 'all clear', Splendid and Flaky will head down to the prison cells and release Flippy and Moonlight. Cuddles and Handy will be their lookouts while he and Starlight head down to the lab for some supplies they might need. "This will be our rendezvous point," the retired pilot explained as he circled the obstacle course, "Just remember to act like real soldiers during the whole operation." And with that, they exit the jet – after ensuring its 'invisibility' cloak is on.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Ow!" Moonlight yelped as a gun poked her butt, growling as some snickers were heard behind her. "If she were really one of us, I'd fuck that ass during my break…" whispered one of the soldiers. "You wish…" she muttered, earning another poke and more gleeful chatter. She then swiftly turned and trained her claws at one tiger soldier's neck, snarling as he seemed to be smiling at her instead. "_Poke my ass again, and you'll regret it…_" she threatened, venom dripping at her words.

"Oh really? What are you gonna do – fart in my face, _bitch_?" he mocked. Moonlight roared and clawed his throat with one swipe of her claws, blood spraying onto her as the soldier collapsed. Flippy took one look and lost his sanity; Flipqy suddenly knocked away the soldiers surrounding them before grabbing his sister and a sickened Splendont as they fled. "Was dragging me out part of the escape plan?" he joked as they ran down the hall. Moonlight didn't have time to reply – their advantage was short-lived as a tranquilizer dart hit him in the neck; knelt onto one knee as Flippy took over, panting exhaustedly.

Just as she was about to help him up, another dart hit her nape – and she collapsed next to her then-unconscious brother on the floor. "That wasn't fair…" Splendont complained as he glanced around weakly. The soldiers picked up the sleeping twins and proceeded to bring them to the lab, half-dragging Splendont along.

Good news – they were put out only for a few minutes. Bad news – Flippy and Moonlight woke up strapped by their arms and legs to a strange machine. "You thought you could just waltz out of my base dressed as one of my own?" the Tiger General asked. Turning to Splendont, he added, "And you…I thought we had so much in common. But since you've decided to assist the subjects, I have no choice but to _kill you_ once I'm done with them."

"Why don't you do it now, fucking pansy?" the red squirrel jeered, earning a punch to his face. As the Tiger General eyed Moonlight head to toe, Flippy was snarling and trying to break free of his restraints; struggled even more as his adversary licked Moonlight's cheek. "Stop touching her!" the green bear demanded, only to be completely ignored.

Moonlight was trying to resist, but her body did the opposite – falling into the Tiger General's seductive charms. "If you behave, I'll let you and your brother go as soon as I get the cure…" he offered as he teased her nipples through the shirt, "What do you say?"

"Go to Hell…" she growled, restricting her moan as he continued, body shuddering at his touch. _"Damn, he's good~! I'm getting the goosebumps here…"_ Eclipse purred, her sighs echoing in her head. "No!" Moonlight yelled as he pressed his crotch against her, unable to stop herself from blushing. "Stop that right now!" Flippy demanded.

"I'll keep doing this…" the Tiger General purred into her ear, "Until you agree to do as I say." She shook her head; he could feel his anger rising as she outright refused his offer. "Fine…_I'll make you_," he growled, slipping a hand into her pants and touching her flower. Flippy shut his eyes and roared, struggling so hard the fur around his wrists and ankles were slowly being ripped off. "I won't give in. _You can't make me!_" Moonlight screamed, whimpering as his fingers sunk deeper into her.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Lifty and Shifty had just knocked out the soldiers and taken over the security control room when they glanced at one of the screens. "Bad news, Captain: Flippy and Moonlight are already in the lab!" Lifty reported, "I can't tell what the Tiger General is doing to Moonlight – he's blocking the view."

"You and your brother stay where you are and update us. Everyone else – rendezvous point, now," Captain ordered. Cuddles, Handy, Splendid and Flaky immediately rushed to the obstacle course where Captain and Starlight are already waiting. _"Um…Captain?"_ Shifty's voice blared, _"The Tiger General's touching Moonlight. And by that, I mean he's groping her!"_

Splendid heard that and growled, clenching his fists. "Wait, Splendid!" Captain ordered, "Barging in there will jeopardize the mission!" But he didn't seem to hear him and was already flying straight to the lab. "Fuck this – PLAN B!" Captain yelled as he cocked his gun. Everyone followed suit and ran straight for the lab. Lifty and Shifty heard the order and bolted immediately.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Will you comply now~?" the Tiger General growled impatiently as his fingers stretched her orifice, enjoying the look on her face. "_SHE ALREADY SAID 'NO'! NOW STOP TOUCHING HER THIS INSTANT!_" Flippy yelled as angry tears ran down his face, earning a slap to his face by the Tiger General's left hand claw. Flippy winced as his cheek got grazed by the sharp metal, feeling some blood leaking from the cut.

Moonlight was already sobbing, unintentionally soaking him with her nectar; watched him pull out and lick his fingers. "You taste _divine_…" her adversary purred, "Maybe I should have more." Despite her protests as he pulled down her pants, she let out a cry and shed more tears as he hungrily began to lick her flower. "_THAT'S ENOUGH!_" demanded another voice. Annoyed, the Tiger General turned to find a glaring blue flying squirrel. "_Leave…my girlfriend…alone…_" Splendid growled. The team appeared behind him in an instant, all sharing the same look on their faces (while ignoring the fact her crotch is exposed).

Unnerved, the Tiger General pulled out a Kryptonut and tossed it to the middle of the room. Splendid cringed and backed away immediately. "Just exactly how many of these things you've got?" Splendont asked, his coughing attracting Splendid's attention. He had a feeling his red doppelganger had something to do with all this, but then seeing him cuffed and held back changed his thoughts about him. "You are all getting on my nerves…" the Tiger General growled as he pulled up Moonlight's pants (much to her relief), "All I wanted was the cure – is that too much to ask for?"

"Why should we trust you?" Starlight replied, training her gun on him. Lifty and Shifty were slowly edging around the group to grab the Kryptonut – but were blocked by soldiers. Flippy did a double-take as he noticed Flaky among the group, thinking she looked strangely cute in a uniform and holding a gun in her delicate hands. Handy (who was standing close to the extractor) was quietly examining the machine while Cuddles watched his back, glaring at the tiger soldiers surrounding them.

Without a word, the Tiger General rolled up his left sleeve. To everyone's horror, his left hand wasn't just a claw – he had an entire robotic arm. "I managed to save myself and stop the infection from going any further, but at the cost of my left arm," he explained, "You two were my friends…why were you trying to get rid of me?"

"Starlight and I knew you had plans for the weapon," Captain explained, "Therefore we believed it was safer not to let it fall into your hands." As he walked closer, the Tiger General threateningly held a hand over a button; Captain stopped in his tracks as he knew it would activate the contraption. "Ah…you forgot I helped build this machine," said the blue tiger, "Originally, I thought this was just some mere torture device – but I've looked through your old records and now understood its real purpose."

And with that, he slammed the button down – Flippy and Moonlight screamed as needles were jabbed into their Jugular veins, extracting large amounts of blood and weakening them by the second. Their blood was then collected into several flasks, which were then moved via conveyer belt into a purification chamber, before finally going into a final extraction chamber which drew out a yellowish fluid that were kept in smaller vials; those were then kept in a pouch and handed over to him. _'The antivirus…'_ Splendid noted. By now, both Flippy and Moonlight fell unconscious as the needles were pulled out.

"Now that I have the cure, it's only a matter of time before I release the virus. And what a shame…" he explained in mock-sympathy, "You won't be alive to witness how useful your creation really is." And with that, he strolled out the door leaving them surrounded by tiger soldiers. "Kill them," he ordered, smirking as the sound of guns cocking echoed behind him.

* * *

><p><em>"Sorry, Flippy…" whispered a sympathetic Sneaky. Mouse Ka-Boom handed him his father's half-scorched dog tag. Clenching it in his fist, he looked at the coffin as he witnessed the funeral. 'That Tiger General won't get away with this…' he swore to himself.<em>

_Since then, Flippy trained long and hard without rest – fueled by his hatred for the Tiger Army. 'They'll fucking pay for what they've done!' he cursed, 'AND I WON'T STOP UNTIL THEY'RE ALL DEAD!'_

* * *

><p>"Grr…" Flippy growled, clenching his fists. Everyone – including the tiger soldiers – turned to watch Flippy coming to. His growling was then followed by squeaking – the metal cuffs holding him down were stretching with unbelievable strength. "ARGH!" he roared as he finally broke free; revealed fiery golden irises. Flipqy then snickered as he eyed his adversaries around him. "FIRE!" one of the tiger soldier's commanded.<p>

Flaky was closest to that soldier and backed into him, her spiky quills impaling her victim; she then used him as a projectile to knock down some soldiers, sending their bullets into the ceiling. Cuddles and Handy worked together and helped Flaky keep the soldiers off her back. "Lifty, Shifty – steal the antivirus!" Captain ordered the raccoons, watching them scamper out the door. Starlight picked up the Kryptonut and hurled it out the window before managing to remove Splendont's cuffs – therefore allowing the flying squirrels to join the battle.

"Moonlight, wake up. Come on, little puppy …" Starlight begged as she gently slapped her daughter's face. "Would you stop that…" the white-haired wolf mumbled, opening her eyes. Splendid noticed and broke off the cuffs, freeing her. "Get down!" Flipqy ordered as he threw a live grenade, blowing away some soldiers and setting fire to some flammable chemicals. The explosion and the smoke was enough for Moonlight to lose control over her alter ego…

"Don't forget me!" Eclipse yelled, grabbing a soldier and ripping out the entire skeleton. Within seconds, there was nothing left of the tiger soldiers except for blood, snapped bones, and mutilated bodies. Cuddles just realized what he had done and puked on the floor. "Pussy…can't handle a little gore," Flipqy muttered, earning a glare from the yellow rabbit.

_"Self-destruct in 60 seconds,"_ announced a computer-like voice from a nearby speaker, _"Please evacuate the premises."_

"Time to go!" Captain announced, leading everyone through the building. Before they could escape, all the exits were suddenly barred down, trapping everyone inside. "Guys!" Lifty and Shifty called out as they ran to the group, "The Tiger General got away and we're locked in!" Splendid turned to the bars and pulled hard, bending the metal inch-by-inch; Splendont assisted, both grunting with effort.

_"Self-destruct in 30 seconds…"_

Flaky screamed at them to hurry up, even though both Flipqy and Eclipse were trying their best to quicken the process. "GO, GO, GO!" cried both the squirrels as they finally bent the bars far enough for everyone to pass through.

_"Self-destruct in 20 seconds…"_

Deactivating the 'invisibility' cloak, the team immediately boarded the Stealth Jet while Captain hurriedly tinkered with the controls, sweat pouring off him as he switched on the engine.

_"Self-destruct in 10 seconds…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…" KA-BOOM!_

"Hang on!" he shouted as he pulled up; the resulting explosion seemed to have boosted their acceleration for a few seconds, forcing them off the ground and the passengers into their seats. "Whoa…what is that?" Cuddles and Handy asked looked out a window as a mysterious reddish cloud seemed to rise and dissipate into the air, shortly after the Tiger Base blew up. "That bastard…" Captain cursed, "Using the self-destruct sequence to release the virus while destroying the base as well."

Everyone yelped as echoing gunfire ricocheted off the outside of their jet; the Tiger General was glaring at them through his own jet, firing an endless stream of bullets. "It's okay, Sniffles built this Stealth Jet to be bulletproof!" Captain assured them, "But I'm not sure if I could shake him off!" It was then they heard the inevitable beeping sound; Captain looked down at the gauges and his eyes widened in shock. "Fuel tank's been hit!" he yelled, "_WE'RE GOING DOWN!_"

_CRASH!_

* * *

><p><em>[It's almost at the end…I guess. Just be patient.]<em>


	19. Chapter 18: Red Sky

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 18 – Red Sky**

* * *

><p>…a peaceful island located southeast of the Tiger Base…<p>

…palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, with exotic birds chirping among its boughs…

…water crashing onto the shore in tiny waves, like mini Tsunamis…

…at the heart of the island, in the middle of a clearing…smoke rose to the skies…

"Is everyone okay?" Captain asked, turning around to check on the passengers. Starlight had a slightly bleeding gash on her forehead and was unconscious; Flippy groaned and rubbed his aching head, eyes widening as he noticed the condition his mother is in; Cuddles, Handy, Lifty and Shifty were somehow thrown out of their seats and were lying crumpled on the floor, bruised but otherwise still in one piece; Flaky was petrified to her seat, dandruff scattered around her while Splendont (who had just revived) looked at her questioningly, blood leaking out his mouth as he coughed; Splendid came to and attempted to move, yelping as pain shot up his left leg; Moonlight revived as she heard his cry, slowly making her way to him past the debris.

The war veteran cut himself free of his seatbelt and half-ran to his mother. "Mom, are you okay?" Flippy asked, gently shaking her and receiving no response. "Mom?" he repeated worriedly, checking for her pulse; he sighed in relief as he felt it faintly. "Everyone who could stand – help those who couldn't and get out of the jet. Now," Captain ordered, unbuckling and picking up his wife before stepping out the broken door. Lifty and Shifty helped up Cuddles and Handy before jumping onto sandy ground, thankful they're still alive.

Flippy made his way over to Flaky and gently held her shoulders, trying not to laugh as she jumped at his touch. "A little help here!" Moonlight requested, whispering soothing words to a pain-struck Splendid. Splendont reached them first; finding that Splendid's seat buckle was broken, he cut him free with his laser vision before helping Moonlight hoist him out. "G-Gently…" he winced as he was placed down, leaning against a tree. "Dislocated," Moonlight noted as she inspected his leg, "Splendont, hold him still."

"What are you doing?" Splendid asked as he watched her position her hands and – "AAH!" he screamed as she snapped the bone back in position. "There, all better…" said Moonlight, giggling as Splendid growled inwardly. His red 'twin' suppressed a chuckle as he helped him up, receiving a playful sucker punch to his arm.

_CLICK. _Flaky whimpered as the Tiger General appeared from the trees, holding a revolver to her head. "Any sudden moves, and she dies…" he threatened, grasping the frightened porcupine by the neck and dragging her away from the group. From his position, Splendid could see the antivirus pouch dangling at the Tiger General's belt. "F-Flippy…" Flaky whispered, shedding a few tears as he dragged her backwards as he moved.

His jet was almost hidden among the trees, in another clearing not far away from their own. "Here's the deal, Flippy…" the Tiger General negotiated, "You and your sister can either come with me, or you can watch everyone die either by my hands or from exposure to the virus." Almost everyone went pale at the last comment.

"You call that a deal?" Cuddles argued, "I've heard better ones from Lifty and Shifty." Said raccoons cocked their eyebrows at what he meant by that. _"Flippy, follow my lead…" _Flipqy ordered from within; Flippy's eyes widened for those few seconds, but then narrowed as he understood. "Fine, we'll trade: Flaky…for Moonlight and myself," the war veteran offered. His sister looked at him, shocked by what he just did.

_"Relax…trust us on this,"_ Eclipse's voice echoed; Moonlight gulped as she and her brother walked over to the Tiger General. "Good choice…" the Tiger General growled as he released a whimpering Flaky before training his revolver to their heads, "Now get in the jet!" Both Flippy and Moonlight stopped about a meter from it instead. "What are you waiting for?" the blue tiger demanded impatiently, "Get in the jet!"

_"Wait for it, wait for it…"_ chanted Flipqy and Eclipse, seemingly at the same time. The Tiger General was losing his patience and pressed his gun at Moonlight's head; the wolf whimpered at the touch of the cold barrel against her. _'Eclipse!'_ she screamed mentally. _"Not yet, girl…"_ her alter ego purred, _"Just a little longer…"_

Splendid and the others tensed as the Tiger General cocked his gun. "All I need is your blood – so I don't care if I kill you right here," he growled, smirking as he watched her shiver. "Go ahead," Flippy taunted, forcing a smirk onto his lips, "_We dare you._" He didn't know what was going on, but the Tiger General found himself unable to pull the trigger as his hand shook involuntarily – was it from excitement or nervousness, he had no clue. "You're trying my patience!" he snarled, steadying his hand with his claw. "No!" Captain yelled.

_BANG!_

The single gunshot echoed in the silence, scaring off a few birds from their perches. Moonlight screamed and had her eyes scrunched shut as she braced for the pain…but felt nothing. She then realized the Tiger General's fuel tank's been hit, petrol leaking into the sand. _'He missed?'_ she thought, turning to find Flippy holding the gun barrel. His eyes were closed – it looked as though he was concentrating.

"Had you going there, didn't I?" Flipqy remarked, locking his golden orbs onto the Tiger General's cobalt-blue irises. Grinning evilly, he yanked and tossed away his revolver before slamming both fists into his torso. Instinct and adrenaline rush forced Lifty and Shifty to scamper up a tree; Cuddles and Handy fled back into the wreaked Stealth Jet and brought out the 'specially-treated' surgical masks, tossing them to their teammates. Captain and Flaky moved the still-unconscious Starlight to a safer area while Splendid and Splendont stood protectively before them.

"Hey, Moonlight!" Cuddles called out as he brandished a flamethrower, pointing it upwards to the sky as he pulled the trigger. "It's not loaded, stupid!" Handy protested as he kicked the ammo to the confused rabbit. As they struggled to load the flamethrower, the Tiger General had his eyes on the wolf and lunged for her; she shrieked and dodged out of his path. "Get back here!" Flipqy demanded as he pounced onto the Tiger General, trying to grapple him. His opponent roared and threw him off, slamming him against a tree. "Get away from me!" Moonlight pleaded as she kept dodging the Tiger General; shrieked as he finally got a hold on her.

The Tiger General thought victory was on his side…but then growled as the yellow rabbit fired the flamethrower. "OW!" Handy screamed as some of the burning ammo leaked out the cartridge and onto his tail, making him look like a living torch. Splendont rushed towards him and blew ice onto his tail, putting out the fire…but accidentally kept going at it and froze the beaver. "Nice job…" Splendid remarked sarcastically. His eyes then turned to a growling Moonlight – wait, _Eclipse_.

_CHOMP!_

"ARGH!" the Tiger General screamed as the insane wolf's teeth sunk into his good arm, tearing it off from below the elbow as he shoved her away. "Hm…kinda chewy," Eclipse noted, swallowing some of the bitten flesh and spitting out some torn fabric, "Tasty, though." She then looked at him, hunger evident in her golden irises as she licked her bloody lips and tossed away the severed arm. "Why the long face?" she purred, savoring the taste. Flipqy didn't know whether to be grossed out or impressed, but he kept that aside as they faced him, claws drawn and fighting stances ready. _"At least she 'disarmed' him – get it?"_ echoed Flippy's voice; he couldn't help but snicker.

Their opponent, however, wasn't laughing; tore off a strip from his shirt and bound it at the stump, slightly stopping the bleeding. "_Now you're going to regret what you did…_" he growled, clicking his claw. As he charged towards them, Flipqy and Eclipse jumped to opposite sides; laughed as his claw got wedged in a tree. "Take that!" Lifty and Shifty yelled together as they pelted coconuts at him. Enraged, the Tiger General pulled his claw free and slashed at the [seemingly] weak trunk, roaring as the raccoons jumped onto a different palm tree as it collapsed. "Catch!" Splendont called out as he threw pistols at the bear and wolf just as the Tiger General picked up his revolver, managing to grasp the trigger with his claw.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Everyone took cover as bullets whizzed through the air; Flaky screamed and curled into a ball while Splendid hurriedly uprooted some tree trunks and made a shield out of them. "Starlight?" Captain wondered as he noticed his wife gone from where she was laying minutes ago; both Flaky and Splendid just noticed that too and glanced around quickly.

More gunshots were fired – and Eclipse collapsed to the ground. "No!" Flipqy yelled as the wolf groaned, bleeding from a bullet hole in each leg. He hurried over to her; let out a choked yelp as the Tiger General planted a bullet into his torso. "Flipqy!" Flaky cried, watching her boyfriend collapse onto the sand. "What's this? Surrendering already?" the Tiger General jeered as he reloaded his gun. Eclipse growled and aimed her gun at his head, screaming as she got two more bullets – one in each hand. "Uh, uh, uh…" he muttered as Flipqy reached for his gun. "I told you you'll regret what you've done…" he added, cocking and aiming it at the green bear's head.

_BANG!_

Everyone jumped at the final gunshot. "Ugh…" the Tiger General groaned, blood leaking out his mouth and his chest. "Heart shot…" purred a familiar feminine voice. Everyone watched the Tiger General drop his revolver and drop onto his knees, a shocked/surprised look in his eyes. Behind him, Starlight – with a pistol in her hands – stared emotionless at the dying tiger. Everyone noticed her eyes were a steady gold instead of their usual green.

"N-Nova…" the Tiger General rasped, taking his last breath and collapsing before Fliqpy and Eclipse, who shook their heads as their counterparts took over their bodies once more; winced as they felt the pain. Splendid and Flaky immediately rushed over to them, holding them close. "Get them patched up – we still have another problem to deal with," Nova ordered, reminding them about the 'lethal blood bomb' virus that has now spread through the entire atmosphere.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"'Nova' is my alter ego – she always appears when any situation gets a little 'explosive'," Starlight explained, "Unlike Flipqy and Eclipse, she's more of a…best friend, if you could put it that way." Captain chuckled as he noticed Flippy and Moonlight's confused expressions; noted they sort of take after their mother. _"You got that right,"_ Nova agreed, smirking at Starlight through her reflection at a window.

Splendont had just finished defrosting Handy with his laser vision while Cuddles wrapped a blanket around the shivering beaver. Flaky was ignoring Flippy's grunts as she pulled out the bullet, immediately bandaging his chest as blood slowly leaked out. "At least it missed your heart and lungs," she explained. Splendid was having a little trouble treating Moonlight – he managed to pull out the bullets, but his strength kept snapping the bandages and/or he pulled it too tight as he clothed her wounds.

"Where's the engineer? Fuel tank cover's all busted up!" Lifty reported. Handy stepped out and inspected the damage. The orange beaver then looked at the Tiger General's jet, getting an idea. "Shifty, grab as much fuel as you could from that jet. Lifty, you'll be my hands," he explained, further telling him about the tools and materials required. Cuddles was just sitting in a corner when he said he suddenly felt 'strange'…and yelped as he noticed his left hand slowly reddening and swelling up. Starlight rushed over to him, realizing he inhaled the virus even before he had put his mask on.

"Hang in there," she requested, rushing out of the jet and coming back with the 'antivirus' pouch in her hands. Grabbing a stainless steel syringe from the First Aid kit, she withdrew some of the yellowish fluid, tapping the needle before rubbing some antiseptic on Cuddles' arm. "Ow…" the rabbit whimpered as she injected the fluid into him, smiling as the swelling went down almost immediately. It wasn't long before everyone else needed a shot of the antivirus as well; thankful there was enough for all of them.

"We may be immune now, but that virus is still floating around," Splendid noted, glaring up at the sky as he tore off his surgical mask. The 'lethal blood bomb' virus got absorbed into the atmosphere and were staining the clouds red, floating lazily across the sky – although their colour almost couldn't be distinguished by the setting sun. "We'll just have to prepare some more then," Starlight replied, holding up the syringe and looking suggestively at her non-identical twins. "But Mom –!" both Flippy and Moonlight whined, silenced by her glare. "Fine…" they grumbled. Splendid and Flaky couldn't help but snicker at their childish behavior.

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><p><em>Nova strolled through Flipqy's 'mind world', leaning against a tree as she glanced at the fluttering butterflies. "Hey Mom!" greeted her daughter, growling playfully as she got tickled. "Where's your brother?" Nova asked, hearing a whistle in reply. "Get down from there, kiddo…" she requested.<em>

_Flipqy was lounging above them on a bough, beret covering his eyes as he pretended to be asleep. "He wouldn't get down here because of me – the little pussy," Eclipse teased. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" he yelled as he swung down, glaring at his sister. "Now, now, guys…" Nova growled as she separated the two before they could pounce and tear each other apart, "Be nice."_

_"'Nice'? This bitch won't stop scaring me whenever she gets the fucking chance!" Flipqy argued. "That's why you're a pussy!" Eclipse countered. "THAT'S ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" Nova yelled, earning an abrupt silence between them. "You two better do what I say – unless you want to suffer horrible consequences," she continued, making them stand before each other, "Now shake hands and make up."_

_"With him? No way I'll –" Eclipse started, swallowing her words as Nova glared at her, tail raised in agitation. "Okay…" she whimpered, tail dangling between her legs. Flipqy couldn't help but smirk as he watched his own sister get dominated…then proceeded to grab and flip her over, smashing her onto the ground. "Showoff!" Eclipse yelled, growling jealously as their mother petted him in admiration._

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><p>After managing to have the Stealth Jet patched up and re-fueled, the group flew home…and was greeted by a panicking Mime. As they exited the jet, Captain noticed dried blood on the runway; cocked an eyebrow as he wondered what happened earlier. "Whoa! Hey, slow down!" Moonlight ordered as she held him by the shoulders, "You're signing too fast. Start over." Mime's gestures were still frantic and he was pointing at the reddened clouds headed their way; Moonlight's eyes widened as she turned to the sky. "Shit…" she hissed.<p>

"What? What did he say?" Flippy demanded. "He says some of the citizens just started swelling up about 5 minutes before we got here," his sister replied, "Sniffles had a feeling those clouds are laced with the same virus and calculated it'll rain down any –" but stopped as she felt a drop on her forehead. "Uh oh," Lifty and Shifty mumbled together.

_'The virus got to Happy Tree Town so quickly?'_ Splendid thought, watching blood-red rain as it pattered around them, staining almost everything in the same colour. Flippy immediately shut his eyes, concentrating on keeping Flipqy inside. "Mime says everyone's at the hospital and Sniffles sent him to fetch us the moment we got here," Moonlight continued, "Lead the way." Not sooner than they followed the silent reindeer, Captain rushed back and dragged Flippy along; his son's eyes still squeezed shut the whole time.

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><p><em>Giggles and Petunia were outside chatting in the park when the blue skunk noted Giggles arm was reddening and swelling up; it wasn't long before they admitted themselves into the hospital. Just when Sniffles thought they were the only case, he received a frantic phone call that Lumpy had randomly exploded and Russell got infected; said otter was being driven to the hospital as they spoke.<em>

_"And I thought having all these mutilated bodies was just enough for today…" sighed the anteater as he looked over the list of victims involved in the Stealth Jet's sonic boom earlier that day. Nutty then rushed over, looking more like a living balloon than his usual self. The Mole was not far behind; suddenly popped into pieces, spreading his blood in all directions._

_'The virus got here sooner than expected – DAMN!' Sniffles panicked._

* * *

><p>"You're both gonna be okay – trust us," Handy assured as he and Cuddles comforted their girlfriends. Captain and Starlight were in the waiting room with Flippy and Moonlight. "It's all our fault," the blue-eyed bear confessed, "If we hadn't created that weapon in the first place, none of this would've happened." Flippy and Moonlight wanted to say something when Sniffles appeared at the door.<p>

"What are you sitting here for? Come with me!" the anteater ordered, ushering Flippy and Moonlight into the lab. "Wait! That's not necessary," Starlight called out, handing the anteater their blood sample. Lifty and Shifty were staring curiously over Sniffles' shoulder as the anteater extracted the antivirus from the blood sample. "Alright, I got it!" Sniffles announced as he held up a flask full of the antivirus, "Help me out, guys."

As the anteater injected himself, Lifty, Shifty, Splendid, Splendont, Flippy and Moonlight distributed the antivirus to all the victims; rushed back into the lab for any refills. Within minutes, everyone who was infected breathed a sigh of relief as the swelling ceased – but some were still in pain as the blood vessels had already burst within them. "We still have a problem – what about those clouds?" Starlight asked. Sniffles thought for a while…and had an idea.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Sniffles' lab – the anteater rushed down to his basement, flipping the light switch before rummaging through his cluttered inventions. "Aha!" he cheered, grunting as he half-dragged a heavy invention back up the stairs. "What's that?" Flippy asked, stepping back as the machine was set down. He and Splendid agreed to help while the rest of the group stayed at the hospital to watch over the patients.

"This…" Sniffles replied, "Is a rain cloud-maker. But instead of making rain clouds, we'll use this." Holding up the antivirus flask – which is half-full by now – he poured it into a funnel at the top before pressing a few buttons, stirring the machine to life. Then as he pressed a final button, a tiny yellowish cloud floated up, dissipating into the atmosphere. "Alright, carry it out," the anteater requested. Flippy and Splendid grunted with effort as they lifted it, almost dropping it onto the pavement outside.

"Are you sure this will work?" Splendid asked. "99.9% sure – the 0.1% being that it wouldn't," Sniffled replied, adjusting some settings and watching a huge cloud materialize above them. He then switched on an onboard fan, all three watching the still-growing cloud float upwards until it almost disappeared with the red clouds.

_'Come on…come on…'_ Flippy silently pleaded as they watched. "Ow!" Splendid yelped, rubbing his eye as a yellowish raindrop hit it. Sniffles collected a sample of the yellowish rainwater and rushed back inside, laughing victoriously as he looked through a microscope; allowed Flippy and Splendid to see for themselves.

Through its increased magnification, the yellow antivirus appeared to have dissolved the red virus before 'separating' itself from the water, floating into the air as a miniature dust particle. "Finally – it's over…" Splendid breathed; Flippy and Sniffles agreed.


	20. Chapter 19: Epilogue

_**Disclaimer:** "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media_

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Tree Friends: Blood &amp; Fire<strong>

**Chapter 19 – Epilogue**

* * *

><p>One week later…<p>

"Are you sure you guys don't wanna stay any longer? I mean, we still have a lot to catch up on," said Flippy. Captain and Starlight politely refused his offer, saying they'd rather not interfere with his and Moonlight's lives. "After all, you're not kids anymore," Starlight purred, ruffling her son's hair. "Then how about one last photograph – to help you remember us by?" Flaky shyly offered. Flippy asked them to wait while he called Moonlight over.

Said wolf was at home, pinned onto her bed while Splendid was on top of her; both were only half-clothed. They were making-out and were about to start making love when Flippy suddenly barged in. "Whoa! Sorry!" the bear apologized as he turned around. "Damn it, knock first!" his sister scolded, she and Splendid blushing as they got off the bed and pulled on some clothes. "What is it?" she asked.

"Mom and Dad want a last-minute photograph – mind sparing a few minutes?" Flippy asked. "They're leaving already?" she whined disappointedly. "Relax, they said they'll visit," her brother assured, dragging his sister outside with Splendid following close behind them.

"Alright, is everyone in position?" Splendid asked as he fiddled with the digital camera. Pressing a button, he rushed to Moonlight's side and held her by the waist, both smiling into the lens. Flippy chuckled as Flaky leaned against him, both winking and holding up their fingers in a 'peace out' sign. Captain's arm was draped around Flippy's shoulders and Starlight was leaning against her daughter when the shutter clicked, capturing their moment.

As they watched their parents get driven away in a taxi, Flippy and Moonlight could only stand and stare at the horizon as they watched the car disappear. "I miss them already…" the wolf mumbled. The green bear turned to her and wiped off a tear leaking from one of her blue eyes…then smirked as he tackled her to the ground. "What the? That's it!" she yelled as she fought back, both rolling on the grass as they wrestled playfully. "Should we break it up?" asked Flaky as they stood nearby. "Nah…" she and Splendid replied, laughing as they watched the 'fight'.

Meanwhile in the taxi, Starlight and Captain were looking through the photographs they had taken during their 1-week stay with their kids, chuckling at some of them.

But then they noticed something odd in the last picture…

Up front were Nova, Flipqy and Eclipse – Starlight's alter ego trying to break up a fight between the siblings on the grass before the group.

But that's not all…

Behind them, hidden among the shadowy trees…_was a mysterious silhouette with a missing arm and a claw for a hand_…

* * *

><p><strong>END<strong>

_[Okay, it's all done! And the sequel's already up~!]_


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